ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, January 14, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
GOVERNMENT
DHS Sec. speaks at Dearborn campus Security secretary talks prejudice in response to terrorism HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, speaks about changing society to celebrate the contributions of all individuals at the Michigan League Wednesday.
Daily Staff Reporter
Black Lives Matter founder encourages social activism Alicia Garza comments on the future of the civil rights movement in speech at Hill By MEGAN DOYLE Daily Staff Reporter
The bitter cold and snow did not deter nearly 600 students from gathering in the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater Wednesday
evening to hear from Alicia Garza, a prominent social activist and a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. The event served to kick off the University’s 30th annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium that takes place in the days leading up to and on the holiday commemorating the revered civil rights activist. Garza said she wanted to structure her speech as a conversation, which the audience responded to by punctuating her words with appreciative snaps and words of agreement.
By LYDIA MURRAY
“Being Black is a crime,” Garza said. “I’ll say that again. In this country today, it’s safe to say that being Black in the United States is a crime — meaning shoot first, ask questions later.” The Black Lives Matter movement began with a 2013 social media post expressing Garza’s anger over George Zimmerman’s acquittal. Zimmerman, who was on trial for the shooting death of Black teenager Trayvon Martin, was acquitted after pleading not guilty by self-defense. She ended her post with the phrase “Our Lives See ACTIVISM, Page 3A
DEARBORN — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson stopped at the University’s Dearborn campus Wednesday as part of a nationwide tour emphasizing the importance of combating prejudices against the Muslim community and taking action in response to terrorism. The tour was part of the “If You See Something Say Something” campaign, which aims to raise public awareness of possible indicators of terrorism and, increase understanding of when and how to report suspicious activity to the proper authorities. Speaking to combatting terrorism, Johnson highlighted the importance of developing a strong and positive relationship between various communities, specifically in order to avoid isolating the Muslim community.
SCIENCE
BUSINESS
Genetics study could lead to new treatments
Mixed response at ‘U’ to Chipotle E. coli outbreaks Though Michigan reports no cases of the virus, profits down nationwide By BECCA SOLBERG Daily Staff Reporter
In 2015, the lack of queso as a menu option wasn’t the only reason people were not eating at Chipotle. From October to December, 53 people in nine states were affected by an E. coli outbreak in Chipotle’s food. While the source of the outbreak still hasn’t been determined, Chipotle has since increased food preparation safety measures in the hopes of preventing further outbreaks. No Chipotle outlets in Michigan have reported E. coli outbreaks. “The silver lining of not knowing is that it has
prompted us to look at every ingredient we use with an eye to improving food safety and handling practices for all ingredients on an ingredientby-ingredient basis,” said Chris Arnold, Chipotle’s executive communications director. Engineering senior Jake Fratkin, president of the Food Industry Student Association, said he’s noticed a decline in people going to the restaurants. He said he thinks the outbreak was an unfortunate combination of bad luck and failures in testing, noting the variability of the food industry in terms of how certain crops are raised each year. “I have a lot of respect for what Chipotle does and how they operate,” he said. “So it is kind of sad for me to suddenly see people not going there, but it is their fault because you need to be super careful with See CHIPOTLE, Page 3A
“Part of my message is, now more than ever given the nature of what we see, it is critical that we build bridges to Muslim communities around this country,” he said. “The answer cannot be to vilify the Muslim Americans in this country.” Over 40 percent of Dearborn’s population is Muslim, and hundreds of U-M Dearborn students gathered to hear Johnson speak Wednesday. Student leaders also met with Johnson prior to the event. He noted that combatting terrorism remained a core focus of DHS — the department was initially formed after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York to increase coordination and national security. Johnson also discussed undocumented immigrants, saying the Obama administration believed a solution to the large influx of immigrants from Central America can be found by approaching immigration as a refugee issue. “Immigration is probably the most emotional subject I have dealt with as a public servant,” he said. “We in our administration regard the problem of families fleeing Central America essentially as a refugees problem. We want to See DEARBORN, Page 3A
Researchers develop understanding of X chromosome By SANJAY REDDY Daily Staff Reporter
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, chief curator of the Core Exhibition at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, discusses how the museum honors those who died by remembering how they lived in UMMA Wednesday.
POLIN museum curator emphasizes Jewish culture Scholar discusses history of exhibits, importance of storytelling By MARGOT SHERIDAN For the Daily
Wednesday night, a crowd gathered at the University of Michigan Musuem of
Art to hear curator Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett discuss the creation of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is a scholar of performance and Jewish studies as well as a published author and curator of the POLIN Museum. Born in Canada during World War II to Jewish immigrants from Poland, she has dedicated her life to the history of museums
and to the heritage of the Jewish community in Poland. A few members of the audience had visited the museum in the past; however, many said they were there to learn more about it. The idea for the museum emerged in 1993, and was founded by the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland, a famous non-governmental See POLIN, Page 3A
For many years, scientists thought they understood the inactivity of X chromosomes in females. However, new University research challenges previous assumptions and could lead to new avenues for treating diseases tied to the chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes, while men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. As a result, one of the X chromosomes in women is randomly inactivated in order to balance gene expression. Chromosomes contain DNA, the instructions for how the body functions. In a paper recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University See STUDY, Page 3A
restaurant week guide How to experience the best of Ann Arbor’s restaurant week » INSIDE
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 40 LO: 24
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM 10 parks will not hold deer cull MICHIGANDAILY.COM/SECTION/NEWS
INDEX
Vol. CXXV No. 52 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A SPORTS......................5A
SUDOKU.....................2A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A B-SIDE ....................1B
News
2A — Thursday, January 14, 2016
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Campus Voices
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
UNDECK THE HALL Students expressed interest in Michigan football’s open tryouts for the upcoming season.
“Michigan football tryouts Saturday 1/23/16. See ya there. —@C_Buttermore37
Each week, “Twitter Talk” is a forum to print tweets that are fun, informative, breaking or newsworthy, with an angle on the University, Ann Arbor and the state. All tweets have been edited for accurate spelling and grammar.
FOLLOW US!
#TMD
@michigandaily
“
SINDUJA KILARU/Daily
Ann Arbor residents Matt Ramsey and TJ Irvine of Oxford Companies work to take down the holiday decorations in Nickel’s Arcade on Wednesday.
University seniors are beginning to look towards graduation and life after college.
“Just applied for graduation #leadersandbest” — @McQu42
“
Football season just ended, but Michigan fans are already looking forward to the next kick-off.
“For the next month. The only thing I care about in sports is recruiting #Michigan #GoBlue” - @Paulie_Bruz
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Stamps Desire by Free Linkedin Flute and Speaker Scott Design Photos Percussion WHAT: Flautist Joanna WHAT: A talk as part of WHAT: A free photo booth Hocking Goldstein and percussionist the Yahoo Lecture Series will be set up at the career WHAT: Detroit-native Scott Hocking will speak about his art installations, focusing on specific areas of his work. WHO: Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design WHEN: 5:10 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Theater
Resume Review Night WHAT: The career center is holding extended hours for drop-in advising and resume reviews. WHO: Career Center WHEN: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. WHERE: Career Center-3200 Student Activities Building
that explores the interface designs of online pornography websites and how they are strategically planned. WHO: School of Information WHEN: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. WHERE: 3100 North Quadrangle
Shane Jones are the Stratus Ensamble. They have a diverse repertoire ranging from jazz to classical. WHO: Stratus Ensemble WHEN: 12:10 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. WHERE: University Hospital-Main Lobby Floor 1
Reading and Difficult Book Signing Conversations WHAT: Award-winning novelists Maggie Shipstead and Jennifer DuBois will read passages from their works and sign books. WHO: Helen Zell Writing Program WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Museum of ArtHelmut Stern Auditorium
WHAT: A class about difficult converations and ways to navigate them comfortably and effectively. (Cost of $179.00) WHO: LPD WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. WHERE: Administrative Services Building-LPD
center to help students take pictures for their LinkedIn profiles. WHO: Career Center WHEN: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. WHERE: Parker Room Michigan Union
Inner city violence and incarceration WHAT: A lecture on how violence and mass incarceration are linked and why a policy shift is recommended. WHO: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute WHEN: 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. WHERE: Rave Theater Carpenter Road
1
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
Michigan governor Rick Snyder activated the National Guard on Tuesday and is seeking help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to address the contaminated water in Flint, according to the New York Times.
2
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com SHOHAM GEVA ROSE FILIPP
Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 sageva@michigandaily.com
Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 rfilipp@michigandaily.com
Newsroom
News Tips
734-418-4115 opt. 3
news@michigandaily.com
Corrections
Letters to the Editor
corrections@michigandaily.com
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Arts Section
Editorial Page
arts@michigandaily.com
opinion@michigandaily.com
Sports Section
Photography Section
sports@michigandaily.com
photo@michigandaily.com
Display Sales
Classified Sales
dailydisplay@gmail.com
classified@michigandaily.com
Online Sales
Finance
onlineads@michigandaily.com
finance@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL STAFF Laura Schinagle Managing Editor Emma Kerr Managing News Editor
schlaura@michigandaily.com emkerr@michigandaily.com
SENIOR NEWS EDITORS: Allana Akhtar, Alyssa Brandon, Jacqeline Charniga, Katie Penrod, Emma Kinery ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: Riyah Basha, Marlee Breakstone, Desiree Chew, Anna Haritos, Camy Metwally, Lydia Murray, Caitlin Reedy, Alexa St. John
Claire Bryan and Regan Detwiler Editorial Page Editors
opinioneditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR OPINION EDITORS: Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Stephanie Trierweiler
Max Bultman and Jake Lourim Managing Sports Editors
sportseditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Minh Doan, Jacob Gase, Kelly Hall, Simon Kaufman, Jason Rubinstein, Zach Shaw, Brad Whipple ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: Betelhem Ashame, Chris Crowder, Sylvanna Gross, Leland Mitchinson, Ted Janes, Kevin Santo,
Kathleen Davis and Adam Theisen Managing Arts Editors
arts@michigandaily.com
SENIOR ARTS EDITORS: Caroline Filips, Melina Glusac, Jacob Rich, Ben Rosenstock ARTS BEAT EDITORS: Matthew Barnauskas, Christian Kennedy, Rebecca Lerner, Natalie Zak
Amanda Allen and Grant Hardy Managing Photo Editors
photo@michigandaily.com
SENIOR PHOTO EDITORS: Zoey Holmstrom, Zach Moore, James Coller ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Claire Abdo, Robery Dunne, Sam Mousigian, San Pham, David Song
Anjali Alangaden and design@michigandaily.com Mariah Gardziola Managing Design Editors Karl Williams Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com DEPUTY STATEMENT EDITORS: Nabeel Chollampat and Tori Noble STATEMENT PHOTO EDITOR: Zoey Holmstrom STATEMENT LEAD DESIGNER: Shane Achenbach
Emily Campbell and Alexis Nowicki Managing Copy Editors
copydesk@michigandaily.com
Arts writers created a SENIOR COPY EDITORS: Taylor Grandinetti and Jose Rosales guide for everything Nivedita Karki Online Editor nivkarki@michigandaily.com you need to know about Levin Kim Managing Video Editor SENIOR VIDEO EDITORS: Michael Kessler, Abe Lofy, Emma Winowiecki Restaurant Week in Ann Arbor. >>SEE B-SIDE, PAGE 1B Michael Schramm Special Projects Manager Emma Sutherland
Social Media Editor
BUSINESS STAFF
3
After 16 hours of detainment, 10 U.S. sailors have been freed in Iran, says the Washington Post. The crew was accused by the Iranian government of crossing into their territorial waters.
Hussein Hakim Finance and Operations Manager Claire Ulak Production Manager Jordan Yob Marketing Manager Matt Pfenning UAccounts Manager Asja Kepes Local Accounts Manager Colin Cheesman National Accounts Manager Anna He Special Guides and Online Manager Claire Butz Layout Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Michigan legislators talk policy after State of the Union address Future goals for Dem. representatives mirror those outlined by POTUS By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
For several Michigan lawmakers, the vision President Barack Obama articulated during his final State of the Union address Tuesday night for federal policy closely mirrored what they would like to accomplish on a statewide level. Of all the major topics discussed, state Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor) said uniting Americans across partisan lines is among the most important issues that face both the country and the state. “It’s important that we respect each other across these partisan lines and ideological
differences and work together to do what’s best for the nation,” he said. “I thought that was an important message for this particular Congress to hear, and I think it’s an important message for the whole nation to hear because there is a real partisan division, almost a sort of partisan tribalism.” Like Irwin, state Sen. Rebekah Warren (D–Ann Arbor) expressed concern over the growing partisan divide. “I came away with a really positive feeling,” she said. “Biggest negative takeaway was that it was disappointing to see that things have broken down so much in Washington that the president basically did not put forward a huge legislative agenda because he feels like he would not have the success he would like. It’s a disheartening thing to acknowledge that Washington has gotten that partisan and uncompromising.” Warren noted that there are
bills in the state Senate that address almost every issue Obama brought up at the State of the Union. However, she added that those bills will not be passed without bipartisan cooperation. “There are lots of bills introduced on both sides of every issue, but just like the nation, in Michigan we have to work hard to find bipartisan ways to work together on these issues,” she said. “None of them are issues can be solved by one party.” In terms of legislation in the state House, Irwin said he appreciated Obama’s mention of the right for the individuals to produce renewable energy on their own property. Irwin is currently working to remove barriers on home renewable energy production through the bipartisan Energy Freedom bill, which he introduced in September, and several other legislative pushes throughout the year have also focused on clean energy. “The part of the speech that made me smile the biggest is when the president said Americans deserve the right to generate clean, homegrown power in their home,” he said. “That’s exactly what I’ve been fighting for in Michigan legislature. Every Michigan citizen should have the right to use their property to generate clean, homegrown power.” Warren also lauded Obama’s role in recovering the auto industry early in his presidency, which he highlighted during a portion of his speech discussing economic successes. In 2008, the government lent funds to General Motors and Chrysler to save them from bankruptcy. $70.42 billion of the $79.68 billion lent to auto companies was ultimately repaid, according to the U.S. Treasury. Many Michigan cities, such as Detroit, were hit particularly hard during the turmoil in See UNION, Page 3A
DAVID SONG/Daily
History Professor Ronald Suny discusses Russia’s influence on global politics and how they participate with other big states at Weill Hall, Wednesday.
Professors discuss motivations behind Russia’s foreign policy Panelists see aggression in Crimea as strategic, Putin as cautious By CALEB CHADWELL For the Daily
In a panel discussion at the Ford School of Public Policy Wednesday, three professors discussed Russia’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy. The talk was led by History Prof. Ronald Suny, Greta Uehling, professor of international and comparative studies, and Law Prof. Steven Ratner. The event, presented by the Michigan Journal of International Affairs Club and sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, was held in response to the ongoing crisis in Crimea. In March 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula soon after the 2014 Ukrainian revolution ousted thenUkrainian president Viktor Yanukovychk. The peninsula is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine’s territory.
Discussing the history of the Crimean conflict, Suny touched on remaining implications in the region from the Cold War, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin stresses that he is not imperialist, but simply wants stability and continuity. Suny said while the United States media often demonizes Putin and Russia, he thinks Russia is a weak country that genuinely wants stability and recognition as a world power. “Vladimir Putin is not a radical, in fact he is relatively cautious,” said Suny. “Russia’s foreign policy can only be understood when one considers the entire national arena.” Suny also spoke about how the invasion of Crimea is seen as a significant nationalist victory in a Russia, where the economy and country are severely struggling. In the eyes of the Russian people, Suny said, the annexation is a victory and it would be detrimental to Putin’s reign to pull out at this point. Ratner said while Russia’s foreign policy may not be perceived as imperialist, it’s important to note that Russia has violated international law
in some of its undertakings — namely, in its annexation of Crimea. “Russia annexed the territory of a neighboring state, but the way they did it is regarded as an abuse of international law,” Ratner said. Offering a humanitarian perspective on the crisis, Uehling said serious human rights violations that were being committed in Crimea under the Russian annexation. “Ukraine has proved remarkably resilient in the face of Russian aggression,” Uehling said. “However the politics of fear promoted by the Russians in Crimea are seriously eroding the possibility of a civil or tolerant society in that region.” As well, Uehling said social stability in Ukraine is important for Europe to avoid creating another refugee crisis from Ukrainians wanting to flee their country. “It’s safe to say that a democratic world is a more peaceful world, and conflict and disorder in any part are going to eventually spread to another,” Uehling said. See RUSSIA, Page 3A
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 14, 2016 — 3A
POLIN From Page 1A
DEARBORN From Page 1A
organization in the country, the City of Warsaw and the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett said one of the difficulties of establishing this museum was that the creators began the process without any sort of collection of artifacts. However, since its opening, the museum has proved remarkably successful, according to KirshenblattGimblett. Over 1 million people of all ages and backgrounds have come to experience the multimedia exhibition that documents more than 1,000 years of Jewish presence on Polish soil. When talking about the beginnings of the museum, Kirshenblatt-Gimblett said the founders wanted to share important events in an applicable manner. “What we had was the story and we had the commitment to tell the story in a vivid, compelling way,” she said. “The exhibition presents remarkable history in a fascinating way.” She said there is no master narrative, but rather many historical principles that the exhibit tries to convey. Along with her speech, KirshenblattGimblett also displayed a slideshow with images of the interior and exterior of the POLIN. The Hebrew word “Polin” in English means either “Poland” or “rest here” and it is a reference to a legend that describes the arrival of the first Jews in Poland. The museum itself stands on land that was once part of the Warsaw Ghetto. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett also spoke to the symbolic nature of the appearance of the museum. “The building is covered completely in glass because the message of glass is a gesture of hope and openness in the face of tragedy,” she said. She said the museum aims to situate the Holocaust within 1,000 years of Polish Jewish history, noting that the creators did not want the Holocaust to be the sole focus of the displays. “We were able to present the Holocaust in its moment from the perspective of those people who did not know what was coming next,” she said. “We held strictly to the idea of being in the moment and not looking forward.” LSA senior Colleen Murphy, who attended the event, said she found the talk interesting, especially the discussion of the physical building. “I’ve always loved museums and as I’ve learned more about them through this class, my interest in history continues to grow,” she said. “What I thought was most interesting was when she talked about museum architecture and the importance of the design of the building. I think everyone can learn a lot from visiting this museum, regardless of religion.” In closing, KirshenblattGimblett said POLIN hopes to continue the storytelling the museum has strived to uphold. “It is a living organism. It is completed by the interaction of visitors with the exhibit,” she said. “We are working hard to keep our story going. Our task now is to keep up the success.”
bring a refugee solution to the problem of illegal immigration from Central America.” Additionally, he touched on initiatives geared toward large universities, including grant building opportunities and a student competition, which began last semester. The competition allows students to create a campaign to curb Islamic terrorist messages to young people and encourages students to consider working in public service. He is currently working with universities to allow students to get credit for participation in the competition. “I want to encourage the students here in particular to consider a career serving your country,” he said. “It’s a wonderful profession, and we need smart young people in public service. We need a diverse array of smart, young people to bring to public service diverse experiences and backgrounds.” U.S. Reps. John Conyers (D–Detroit) and Debbie Dingell
UNION From Page 2A the auto industry. Warren said Obama’s leadership was key in creating policy to support the auto industry and helping Michigan’s economy recover from the 2008 recession. “If you grew up in Michigan, you probably have someone in your family who has a job in the auto industry or related to the auto industry,” she said. “If the auto industry had truly gone into bankruptcy and had not been able to recover, it would have been devastating for Michigan’s economy for a very long time. I’m proud looking back at how that support was there when it was needed. I cannot imagine where we would be now had we not had that support.”
RITA MORRIS/Daily
Customers wait for their order at Chipotle Wednesday.
CHIPOTLE From Page 1A huge diseases like listeria or E.coli that can literally make or break a business.” Following the outbreak, sales decreased by 37 percent nationswide, in December, and Chipotle’s stock dropped 42 percent in the last three months.The company has now adopted intensive safety and washing procedures, including their decision to begin testing ingredients before the food enters the Chipotle chains. “Among the things we are implementing in this area are washing and cutting tomatoes and lettuce in central kitchens rather than in our restaurants, shredding cheese in central kitchens rather than in our restaurants, changing the way chicken and steak are marinated and blanching certain produce items (such as avocados and limes) before they are used,” Arnold said. While Fratkin said he believes the average student may be intimidated to eat
BLACK LIVES MATTER From Page 1A Matter, We Matter, Black Lives Matter.” The message stuck and Garza ,with two others — Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors — began promoting the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media. The hashtag ultimately prompted a nationwide discussion on race relations, specifically after recent police shootings of unarmed Black men and boys such as Michael Brown and Tamir Rice. Garza also discussed the future of the civil rights movement and the importance of the people perpetuating activism in the real world. “Hashtags don’t start movements,” she said. “Hashtags are ways to continue a conversation. But movements are comprised of people who share a vision, who share a set of values, who take action together, in order to bring about some kind of change, and without the work that it takes to make that happen, we would just be talking on Facebook.” James Hilton, University librarian and dean of libraries, also spoke to the theme of this year’s symposium, #WhoWillBeNext, during the event. He said the theme is meant to ask both who will be the next victim and who will be the next leader of the movement. “Who will be next to suffer racial discrimination and oppression?,” Hilton asked. Who will be next to suffer due to their gender, gender identity or sexual orientation? Who will be next to suffer oppression because of their birthplace or religion? On the flip side but equally important, who will be next to take up the banner of leadership, to fight discrimination, oppression and injustice?”. LSA junior Jay Akolkar, who attended the event, said she wanted to learn more
there, he added that he’s looked into the new safety procedures and thinks Chipotle is now one of the safer places to eat. “From a scientific point of view and health code testing, there is a lot worse that you can do than Chipotle,” he said. “Really like any large scale restaurant, the testing is a lot more rigorous than some of the smaller businesses.” LSA freshmen Katie Biggs said, under some conditions, she still feels comfortable eating at the restaurant. “If they had had (the virus) contained for a few weeks, then I would definitely go there,” Biggs said. Arnold said he believes profit recovery will come with the enhanced safety plan, allowing the chain to establish itself as a leader in food safety. Fratkin said he thinks that full recovery for the restaurant will take time. He compared this incident to a 1993 E. coli breakout at Jack in the Box which hospitalized 144 people who had consumed hamburgers from the chain,
about the Black Lives Matter movement firsthand. “You see a lot about it on social media, but you don’t really get to see a lot about the people behind it, and I thought it was very interesting,” Akolkar said. Garza also spoke about her experience attending Tuesday’s State of the Union address, where she was a guest of her congresswoman, Rep. Barbara Lee (D–Calif.). She came to the University directly from Washington, D.C. Garza said she felt compelled to attend in case she got the opportunity to speak with President Barack Obama. Though she did not get the opportunity, she said her message to the president would have been to discuss Black lives in the United States, as well as to spread peace internationally. “We can still be proud that we have a Black president, but I’d be even prouder if that Black president could admit that Black people in this country are having a really hard time surviving,” Garza said. In particular, Garza said she would have appreciated clearer language in the president’s address about the issue. “We have violent, racist rhetoric that is taking hold in this country and it impacts all of us,” Garza explained. “First, it’s directed towards Muslims. Then, it’s directed towards Black people. Then, it’s directed towards immigrants. And then who’s next?” LSA sophomore Kayla Countryman, who attended the event, said she came after seeing and following the Black Lives Matter Twitter and finding it relevant to her personal and academic life at the University. “She is so personable, and what she was saying felt so relevant and easy to understand, but it was also deep in a sense where I really felt it, and it made me want to go out and do something,
ultimately killing three of them. “It took them like five years to return to that same level,” he said. “Just like any crazy thing you see in the media, it seems like it just takes time to change people’s perspectives.” He also said he thinks the company’s leadership will dig them out of the slump of customers’ uncertainty and low sales. “I think there are smart people running the company,” he said. “So they will recover. But, it just shows how variable the food industry is and little mistake or chance of luck can possibly take down a huge business.” LSA sophomore Gabby Rubinstein said she hasn’t visited the Ann Arbor Chipotle since hearing about the outbreak. “The whole thing made me too paranoid to go there,” she said. “Plus I was eating an unhealthy amount, so I needed to broaden my horizons anyway.”
STUDY From Page 1A researchers from the Department of Human Genetics suggest that a molecule called Xist RNA, which was previously understood to be responsible for making one of the X chromosomes inactive, is actually insufficient in doing so on its own. Instead, according to the research, there have to be other molecules exist on the X chromosome that interact with Xist to inactivate the chromosome. Human Genetics Prof. Sundeep Kalantry, who headed the project, said to conduct the study researchers engineered male cells to express Xist RNA, which they normally don’t do. “Xist is normally only expressed in female cells from the inactive X chromosome,” Kalantry said. “When we took away an RNA transcribed in the opposite direction too, we got male cells to express Xist. We saw that these male cells expressing Xist do not undergo X chromosome inactivation, so this allowed us to
RUSSIA From Page 2A While the consensus among the three professors was that a return of Crimea to Ukraine was unlikely, Uehling proposed twos steps that could be taken by the United States and other countries to alleviate the situation. These countries, she said, could help groups there trying to monitor human rights abuses in Crimea and continue to impose economic sanctions on Russia. LSA freshman Amelia Feuka, who attended the event, said she came because Suny is one of her professors and she was interested in the historical aspect of the conflict in Ukraine. She added that she didn’t expect to be presented with issues pertaining to human rights in Crimea or international law, but
conclude that Xist is insufficient to cause inactivation.” Once researchers found that Xist RNA does not by itself cause X chromosome inactivation, they were able to move toward a better understanding of what else is needed for the process to occur. The answer ultimately pointed toward other molecules in the cell. “We found that female cells have other factors on the X chromosome itself that male cells don’t, and these factors are the master regulators of X inactivation,” Kalantry said. Implications of finding those factors are far ranging, he added. “If you were to increase or decrease the levels of these regulators, then you can turn on or off particular genes on the X chromosome that normally would not be turned on or off,” Kalantry said. “As a result, you can modulate X-linked gene expression.” Controlling X-linked gene expression — the appearance of certain characteristics or illnesses tied specifically to the X chromosome — permits researchers to be better able to understand how X chromosome
(D–Dearborn) helped organize and attended both the talk and a roundtable discussion between student leaders and Johnson prior to his speech. Following the speech, Conyers and Dingell both expressed their gratitude toward Johnson for his visit. Conyers said he had never heard these specific issues addressed so well before. “This has been a great experience,” he said. “We have been friends for a very long time, but I’ve never heard the issues examined so thoughtfully and interestingly in terms of how to get liberty and security working together and complementing each other.” Dingell said she appreciated that Johnson elected to visit Dearborn immediately following the State of the Union address as it solidifies the message of unity President Barack Obama delivered in his address. “This is my home and I am proud to live here, and I’ve been very concerned over the past few months that we are letting fear cause hatred and division,” she said. “President Obama had a strong message last night. Let us hear that message.”
noted that she walked away with a new perspective on the issue. “There is often a very narrowminded view on this really complicated subject and in reality there are so many different elements and components to it,” Fueka said. “I thought this was really enlightening and useful for me to hear.” Public Policy junior Graham Steffens said he attended because he is part of the Michigan Journal of International Affairs Club and has a strong interest in foreign policy. “Russia’s actions are a big deal right now and I think it’s really important for students to actually listen to what actual professors have to say about it instead of just talking back and forth and not understanding everything,” Steffens said.
inactivation occurs. Postdoctoral fellow Srimonta Gayen said this understanding could then have therapeutic applications, by allowing scientists to activate the healthy parts of the silenced X chromosome to compensate for disease-causing aspects within the originally activated chromosome. This type of activation has previously not been possible. Diseases linked to the X chromosome include autism, hemophilia and muscular dystrophy. “If we increase understanding of the mechanism of how X-linked chromosome inactivation actually occurs, we can better understand X-linked chromosomal diseases,” Gayen said. The study’s authors said future research aims to further investigate the regulating factors this study suggested were responsible for X chromosome inactivation. “We want to find these other factors,” Kalantry said. “We already have one of them worked out, and this is close to being published.”
Opinion
4A — Thursday, January 14, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Don’t try to win an argument Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com SHOHAM GEVA EDITOR IN CHIEF
CLAIRE BRYAN AND REGAN DETWILER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LAURA SCHINAGLE MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
RACHEL JOHN | OP-ED
WSN: Supporting students
As the cheers of football season fade and the holiday lights dim, the winter semester is upon us. For many of us, a new semester comes with heaping amounts of stress. Unfortunately, stress is this University. Student life can be overwhelming when trying to balance school, work and a social life, all while trying to be a “leader” and “best” at everything. Stress has become so integral to campus culture that its harmful effects can sometimes be overlooked. According to a 2010 UCLA study, the reported emotional health levels of American college students are at a “record low.” Furthermore, it is particularly disturbing that college students are the least likely group to ask for help regarding mental health issues. The silence on mental health has become a dangerous norm and only perpetuates the problem. Wolverine Support Network is a student organization that strives to directly combat the silent mindset on mental health. Over the past two semesters, Wolverine Support Network has directed a total of 21 weekly confidential peer-to-peer groups that have fostered discussion on mental health. “It is one hour a week where students can talk about what they need to and know that they will feel welcomed,” Cheyenne Stone, director of marketing for WSN, said. Contrary to some misconceptions about the organization, the weekly groups are not therapy sessions. Though the WSN leaders are trained weekly by Counseling and Psychological Services, the purpose of groups is to build relationships and start the conversation on mental health. Likewise, the group discussions are open to all and are not only reserved for students with diagnosed psychological problems. Having been a group leader since WSN’s inception, I consider the weekly groups to be like an open forum. WSN offers a rare opportunity in this gigantic university to truly understand a few students on a deeper, intimate level. “I want to have WSN be a release for stu-
MICHELLE SHENG
dents; somewhere they can go and to decompress and feel good about where they are at in life,” Alex Gaggino, director of outreach for WSN, said. Though the groups can be a space to talk about anxiety, depression and the stresses of student life, groups are not limited to those topics. “Our WSN groups are a chance for people to either say, ‘You know what, it was a really hard week,’ but also a place where you can take a step back and say, ‘Wow look at all these awesome things I’m doing,’ ” Gaggino said. Each group is a space to reflect; a refreshing change from fast-paced, stressful student life. To date, WSN has raised $80,000 to further its cause to destigmatize mental health and establish itself as a strong, supportive community resource on campus. Last year, WSN worked in partnership with Active Minds for the Send Silence Packing event and with the Depression Center for the Defeat Depression Dash 5K. WSN continues to collaborate with other mental wellness organizations, and the directors of WSN will be panelists for the University Mental Health Symposium this semester. Whether you are experiencing emotional difficulty this semester, want to meet new people or simply want someone to talk to, Wolverine Support Network is a resource available to you. We are founded on the motto “because life happens” because we believe everyone is entitled to a support system. “I see WSN being a resource on campus that all students are aware of and a majority of students utilize,” Stone said. “We are a community that promotes wellness and friendship, and I see this community flourishing on the University of Michigan campus.” This was written on behalf of the Wolverine Support Network by Rachel Johns, a member of the group’s Outreach Comittee.
E-mail Michelle at shengmi@umich.edu
T
he most important conversation I’ve had since coming to college happened my sophomore year in my ROLAND friend Kim’s cluttered dorm room. DAVIDSON We were drinking tea: me out of a mug shaped like Kanye West’s head, her out of a toilet mug. Somehow Reaganomics — the Reagan administration’s policy of government deregulation coupled with cuts to taxes and spending — came up in conversation, and we began discussing how effective they were. Eventually, we came to an impasse where neither of us knew enough about the subject to really continue the discussion. Thus, we did what any intrepid college student would have done: We took out our iPhones and began trying to discover the effects of Reaganomics. Like any good liberal, Kim Googled “negative effects of supplyside economics,” and I, like any good contrarian, searched for the “positive effects supply-side economics.” We threw statistics about economic growth and happiness indexes back and forth until we realized this wasn’t a fruitful conversation. Neither of us were proficient in economics, so we couldn’t parse the raw data ourselves, and instead we tried to simply find arguments that supported our views. Instead of trying to have an open conversation, both of us were more interested in proving we were right. Obviously, people are going to disagree with ideas that run counter to their opinions. What made this conversation so enlightening was the realization that we selfcensored information with which we didn’t agree. This intentional selection of information limits our ability to discover the truth about how the world works. Researchers refer to this purpose-
ful selection of information as a type of cognitive bias. Cognitive biases can manifest themselves in other insidious ways. Consider global warming. Many environmentalists assume that if more people understood the science behind climate change, more people would believe it’s happening. Fundamentally, this makes sense. If you explain to someone how the Earth cannot be flat, they will (hopefully) stop believing it’s flat. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. A recent study by Dan M. Kahan at Yale University shows that conservatives who have a greater understanding of science are less likely to believe in global warming than conservatives who are less fluent in science. The more information a person has, the more someone can twist that information to confirm their preexisting beliefs. This gets back to the heart of the Reaganomics discussion. If a deeply liberal person had a wealth of knowledge about supply-side economics, they would be much more likely to reject its utility. Similarly, if an archconservative had the same amount of information, they might overstate the power of supply-side economics and staunchly support its implementation, regardless of the economic context. This bias is exacerbated when we surround ourselves with like-minded people. The conflict between Israel and Palestine is one of the most contentious on Earth. It therefore shouldn’t be a surprise that when one researcher graphed how Palestinians and Israelis used social media, there was almost no interaction between the two groups. This increases polarization between proIsrael and pro-Palestinian groups and makes it more difficult to reach consensus. Thus, intergroup interaction happens less frequently and doesn’t affect change as much. When I see a discussion between the prominent conservative thinker
Dinesh D’Souza and the anti-war activist Bill Ayers billed as a “showdown,” or see people tweeting they are part of team Ayers, I worry that a similar phenomenon has happened at the University. This is one of the few formal discussions between liberal and conservative thinkers. We aren’t interested in learning about differences between these two ideologues. Instead, we want our opinions to be vindicated. Maybe some of my peers aren’t worried about this. Many students at the University might say they are open to discourse. But when the time comes for open debate, we twist our facts to prove our point rather than risk changing our views. I’m very liberal, but I don’t reject all conservative beliefs a priori. Since coming to college, I’ve come to understand the merit of some strains of conservative thought. That’s a key part of going to college: engaging with the other. If we continue down this path, these engagements will be less valuable and less frequent. That isn’t the sort of university I envision when I think of “the leaders and the best.” There are a couple of ways to tackle this issue. The first: actively engage people who disagree with you. Don’t try to win an argument, try to understand the beliefs that underpin other people’s worldview. Secondly, research has shown that being aware you hold these biases can limit their power. The University should incorporate lessons about cognitive biases into English 124/125 courses, helping students evaluate arguments only on their merit. There’s a lot of work to be done to disrupt our biases, but it’s rewarding; by removing our biases, we can create a more intellectually nurturing environment at the University and become more thoughtful, holistic thinkers. —Roland Davidson can be reached at mhenryda@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
O
Coping with GAD
n an average day, I leave my apartment at 8 a.m. and walk to my 9 a.m. class that is located roughly HANNAH 10 minutes away MAIER from where I live, 15 if I’m walking slowly. More often than not, when I reach the halfway point to my destination, I start to worry if I forgot class materials or if I locked the door. I shrug my backpack off my shoulder and dig through it to see if I have everything. I do. I always do, because I always pack my backpack the night before to make sure that I don’t forget anything. Even though I know I have everything that I could possibly need, I check anyways. Ok, phew, I have everything. But did I lock the door? I then backtrack to my apartment to make sure I remembered to lock the door — and I did, because I always do. I rustle the bronze knob of the door a few times to reassure myself that I had, in fact, locked it. I restart my journey to class, but still arrive more than 20 minutes early, which is my version of being on time. I am constantly worried about arriving late to class. There are days when I am expected to contribute to group discussion in class. When it is my turn to speak, my heart races and my skin blotches. Words fall out of my mouth at 100 miles a minute. I know that no one is judging me, but I become frustrated because it’s impossible for me to slow down and collect my thoughts. Creating coherent responses seems impossible. The nervousness never ends, and I have accepted it as a part of my life and my identity. Generalized anxiety disorder impacts my daily routine and my everyday life. Students across campus are affected by generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). While some students are all too familiar with generalized anxiety, I have noticed that others may have misconceptions about generalized anxiety, or may have not been
exposed to the concept of generalized anxiety before college. I hope that my perspective on GAD can prove to be helpful to those who may be affected by GAD, and interesting to those who are curious about generalized anxiety. Expressing a small amount of anxiety isn’t a bad thing, and experiencing anxiety is common when faced with a critical or stressful situation. As described by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, people with GAD display excessive worry about everyday things, such as health, family or work. Individuals with GAD may not be able to perform their normal routine. For example, some people may be unable to rest or accomplish daily tasks because their anxiety is so severe. There are diverse treatment plans for GAD; some plans include medication and some do not. People express anxiety differently, so it is important to understand that not everyone shares the same symptoms for GAD. I would like to address a misconception about generalized anxiety that I have encountered on campus. A common piece of advice that I have overheard being given to someone who is affected by GAD goes as follows: “Your schedule is causing your anxiety.” It is true that anxiety is a heavy weight tethered to a student, and it is true that it may hold a student back from performing his or her best in social or academic situations, but academics and social situations are not the cause of GAD, even though they may accentuate expressed symptoms. GAD is caused by brain chemistry or genetics. Initially, I was discouraged from seeking treatment. In my experience, because my mental illness wasn’t a visible ailment, it wasn’t taken seriously. I was told to put my big girl pants on, to push through it. The second semester of my freshman year, I pushed myself to the point where I couldn’t perform everyday activities. So, I scheduled an appointment
with my primary care physician. The appointment proved to be helpful, and I feel that my condition has improved with treatment. I feel that anxiety has been so normalized across the nation that it is hard for students to seek the right treatment or to tell the difference between a normal amount of anxiety and general anxiety disorder. It often takes a long time for someone with GAD to come to the point where he or she is comfortable seeking help, and even then the quality of help that he or she can receive is very limited to the type of insurance that he or she possesses. I would like to commend the University Counseling and Psychological Services for its services and commitment to helping students. In the future, I hope CAPS will work on providing more available psychiatric services to students as anxiety is a pressing issue on campus. While I encourage students to visit CAPS for an initial consultation, I recommend they find a primary care physician in Ann Arbor if at all possible. CAPS services are in high demand, and, in my experience, students will be able to receive help more quickly if they visit a therapist, psychiatrist or other specialist that is recommended to them by a primary care doctor. It is never too early to ask for help if you feel overwhelmed with school, work or anything in general. I think the most important thing to remember is that everyone exhibits different symptoms of mental illnesses, and every student should feel comfortable asking for help no matter the severity of his or her symptoms. I hope mental health services will start to become more widely available as more people acknowledge the reciprocal relationship between mental and physical wellness — which both have equal influence on a person’s overall well-being. —Hannah Maier can be reached at hannamai@umich.edu.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 14, 2016 — 5A
The kids are all right
W
ith 39 seconds left in the first half, Mark Donnal cleanly
blocked Rasheed Sulaimon and left him lying under the basket on his back. But then Maryland grabbed the KELLY offensive HALL rebound, so Donnal jumped up to do it again. This time, he reached his arm over forward Robert Carter’s shoulder, blocking him from behind. On the following possession, with time about to expire, Donnal tipped in a missed 3-pointer. His teammates mobbed him on the way to the locker room, happy to escape the first half against the third-ranked Terrapins with an eight-point lead. Fast-forward to the end of the second half, and Donnal was at the center of attention again. After grabbing an offensive board, he drew a foul on a put-back attempt. With just a two-point lead, his two free throws would mean everything to his team’s fate. After he sank the first one, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. At the end of a game the Wolverines mostly dominated, including a 13-point lead in the opening minutes of the second half, Michigan would beat a top-five team for the first time since 2014. After the buzzer sounded and the team was done celebrating at center court, Donnal went over to the sidelines to give out high-
fives — this time connecting not with a ball headed towards the net, but with fans standing on the court and with 17-year event team member Jim Dick. Donnal was grateful to escape with a win. Who was Donnal, anyway? A skinny, 6-foot-9 big man who lost his starting job not just once, but two years in a row? Prior to his breakout game against Illinois on Dec. 30, he was averaging 3.9 points and 2.1 boards per game and was known for looking timid on the court. In his third game starting for the Wolverines since then, he has looked like the leader he should be as one of Michigan’s oldest, healthy players. Maybe he’s no longer the kid we thought he was. And who’s Duncan Robinson? Is this the same kid we met when he transferred from Division III Williams College and sat on the bench last season? Time and time again Tuesday, the redshirt sophomore delivered. Five times from beyond the arc, if we’re being specific. Robinson started to hit his stride with 4:26 left in the first half, hitting his second trey in three possessions. He sank another one for good measure two minutes later, scoring back-to-back with junior forward Zak Irvin. He came out in the second half on the same stride, scoring Michigan’s first points of the half in the form of — you guessed it — a 3-pointer. It was his longest of the game, about a foot away from the navy block ‘M’ at center court. Later, Robinson made up for a missed wide-open corner triple on the next possession by running beneath the net and laying the
“I think they’re understanding there’s a lot of ways to win.”
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Junior forward Mark Donnal came up big in key moments in the Michigan men’s basketball team’s 70-67 win over No. 3 Maryland on Tuesday.
ball in on a reverse layup. It gave Michigan a much-needed boost and awakened the crowd, giving the Wolverines a 61-57 lead. And how about Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr.? Well, they’re faces Michigan fans know well, but they’ve never seen them like this, in more of a leadership role than ever before. With leading scorer and captain Caris LeVert sidelined due to a lower leg injury, Irvin and Walton had to play those roles Tuesday if they wanted a chance. “Best friends” off the court, the duo showed that they have just as much chemistry on the court. Walton dished the ball to Irvin for Michigan’s first points of the
game, and the trend continued, with the two on the floor together for nearly all of the Wolverines’ big runs. Irvin led the Wolverines with 22 points, and though Walton didn’t make quite as big of a dent on the box score, the guard came up big with 10 rebounds. In fact, Irvin thinks his buddy Walton is the best rebounding point guard he’s ever played with. On top of grabbing boards at 6-foot-1, Walton was tasked with the unenviable job of guarding Melo Trimble, Maryland’s leading scorer. He held Trimble to just two points in a matchup that he said he made personal, and after the game, Michigan coach John Beilein had him lead the Wolverines in singing
“The Victors.” It’s hard not to imagine what the Wolverines would have looked like Tuesday night with LeVert. It’s even harder not to make comparisons to last season’s injuries. Beilein even catches himself doing it sometimes. “I’ve done it, everybody’s done it — ‘Here we go again, same thing as last year,’ ” Beilein said following the game. “You’ve got Spike sitting there and you’ve got Caris sitting there. “I think the Penn State game really showed that we have some other weapons. They also love playing with Duncan Robinson — they’re looking for him all the time … I think they’re understanding
Classifieds ! NORTH CAMPUS 1‑2 Bdrm. ! ! Riverfront/Heat/Water/Parking. ! ! www.HRPAA.com ! 1 & 2 Bedroom Apts on Wilmot Avail Fall 2016‑17 $975 ‑ $1575 Plus Electric to DTE Coin Laundry Access, Free WiFi Parking Avail $50‑$80/m CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Willie Henry announced on Wednesday his intent to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
Henry will enter 2016 NFL Draft By ZACH SHAW Daily Sports Editor
After a strong 2015 season, redshirt junior defensive tackle Willie Henry announced on Twitter Wednesday night that he will forgo his final year of eligibility with the Michigan football team and enter the NFL Draft. “We’ve had a long exciting journey together,” Henry said to Michigan coaches, teammates and fans in a statement on Twitter. “For the past few years at the University, all of you have been like a second family to me. “Nevertheless, my time as a student athlete has come to a end. I have decided to continue my football career in a more professional direction.” In his third season playing on the 12th-ranked Wolverines’ front, the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Henry had career highs in tackles (34), tackles for loss (10) and sacks (6.5). His 6.5 sacks were tied with redshirt junior Chris Wormley for the team lead. In back-to-back games against then-No. 13 Northwestern and then-No. 7 Michigan State, Henry totaled nine tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks,
showcasing improved speed that could make him ready for the next level. Henry was an integral part on one of the nation’s best defensive lines and led the Wolverines to their most wins since 2011. In his letter, Henry credited the coaching staff and support around him for making his dream possible. “I want to express my gratitude to all of the coaching staff that I had the pleasure of working with throughout my time here at Michigan,” Henry said. “This began with the coaching staff that was here with Brady Hoke (who is a great man and mentor) and the coaching staff that is here now whom I had the benefit of sharing my most memorable season. “So, to Michigan, I say goodbye knowing you all have given me an experience of a lifetime that I will cherish forever.” Though Henry is leaving, other potential NFL players such as junior tight end Jake Butt, redshirt junior defensive back Jourdan Lewis and Wormley have all committed to playing one more season for the Wolverines, who could still return up to 16 starters.
ACROSS 1 Home of the Great Sphinx 6 French thinkers? 11 Priestly garb 14 Charter 15 Discharge 16 __ chi 17 Well-cast “Into the Woods” actress? 19 It’s used for some trips 20 Bank customer acct. datum 21 Tackle box items 22 It may have a nice bouquet 23 Well-cast “An Education” actress? 26 Like the Detroit Lions in 2008 29 Financial pg. topics 30 Clod breakers 31 __ arguments 32 Spat 35 Director’s explanation as to why this puzzle’s actresses were well-cast? 40 Familiar saint? 41 Gets ready to fire 42 “Zounds!” 43 Cable service extras 44 “Spoon River Anthology” poet 47 Well-cast “Duplicity” actress? 51 Fissionable particle 52 “Sorry, __ go!” 53 Whale watcher’s dream 56 Software issue 57 Well-cast “Birds of America” actress? 60 Bud 61 “Is that __?”: challenging words 62 Quad Cities resident, maybe 63 Rule of crime writing 64 Actresses Diane and Cheryl 65 Address to a boy
DOWN 1 O’Neill’s “Desire Under the __” 2 Heist units 3 Unlikely story 4 Subj. involving cognitive development 5 “Spill it!” 6 Aquarium fish 7 Wetlands wader 8 Top choice 9 Legal conclusion? 10 Brake fluid brand 11 Low-tech GPS? 12 Stock holder? 13 Former senator known as “Amtrak Joe” 18 Totals 22 LBJ and Nixon, e.g. 23 Einstein’s second wife 24 Hawaiian food fish 25 Lawn problem 26 Blender button 27 Bit 28 Brooding spot 31 Iron-__ 32 Extreme road response 33 “Rubáiyát” poet 34 Brings together
36 California’s __ Beds National Monument 37 Way to get to N.Y.’s Citi Field 38 Response to happy news 39 Brings home 43 Lacking luster 44 Scotland yards? 45 Pretentious 46 Balanced state 47 “Star Wars” villain
48 Reversal 49 Start a telecommuting session 50 Advisory body 53 Puppet 54 Put-act link 55 Designer label initials 57 Evil computer of film 58 NW state 59 Court
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apts on Arch Avail Fall 2016‑17 $1050 ‑ $2500 + electric contribution CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 2, 3 & 4 Bedroom Apts @ 1015 Packard Avail for Fall 2016‑17 $1400 ‑ $2700 + gas and water; Tenants pay electric to DTE; Limited parking avail for $50/mo; On‑site Laundry CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 2016‑17 LEASING Apartments Going Fast! Prime Student Housing 761‑8000 www.primesh.com Efficiencies: 726 S. State 1 Left $785 344 S. Division $835/$855 610 S. Forest $870 1 Bedrooms: 726 S. State 2 Left $1125 508 Division $925/$945 2 Bedroom: 1021 Vaughn $1410 House: 934 Dewey $2595 *Fully Furnished *Parking Included *Free Ethernet (* Varies by locations)
xwordeditor@aol.com
01/14/16
5 BEDROOM APT Fall 2016‑17 $3250 + $100/m Gas & Water + Electric to DTE, 3 parking spaces no charge 1014 Vaughn #1 ‑ multilevel unit w/ carpet CALL DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 6 BEDROOM House May 2016 1119 S. Forest ‑ $3900 plus utilities. Showings Scheduled M‑F 10‑3 24 hour noticed required DEINCO PROPERTIES 734‑996‑1991 ARBOR PROPERTIES Award‑Winning Rentals in Kerrytown, Central Campus, Old West Side, Burns Park. Now Renting for 2016. 734‑649‑8637. www.arborprops.com
By Danny Reichert ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
01/14/16
Hall can be reached at hallkl@umich.edu and on Twitter at @kellyhall20.
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
FOR RENT
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, January 14, 2016
there’s a lot of ways to win, not just if Caris isn’t there, we can’t win. We’ve done it twice now.” Even without LeVert, the Wolverines proved they could hang out with the big kids — quite literally at times, with two of Maryland’s big men measuring in at 6-foot-11. Michigan finally drew on its strengths, all of them, and used a slew of weapons that were more or less nonexistent just months ago when everyone was still waiting on Robinson and Donnal. There’s no more waiting now, though. These kids have made it.
NEAR CAMPUS APARTMENTS Avail Fall 16‑17 Eff/1 Bed ‑ $750 ‑ $1400 2 Bed ‑ $1050 ‑ $1425 3 Bed ‑ $1955 Most include Heat and Water Parking where avail is $50/m Many are Cat Friendly CAPPO 734‑996‑1991 www.cappomanagement.com
APARTMENT ON A horse facility. New one bedroom, 15 min from main campus. Must be an accomplished horse person. Light farm and horse work and farm sitting in exchange for rent. Email all inquiries to jchaconas@ccim. net FALL 2016 HOUSES # Beds Location Rent 6 1019 Packard $4200 4 852 Brookwood $2600 4 1010 Cedar Bend $2400 Tenants pay all utilities. CAPPO/DEINCO 734‑996‑1991
SERVICES BABYSITTER NEEDED Wednesday afternoons 3‑7 Kids 15, 11, 9 ‑ Must have reliable car & be comfortable driving kids to activities Please call Elisabeth: 734‑945‑3056 THESIS EDITING, LANGUAGE, organization, format. All Disciplines. 734/996‑0566 or writeon@iserv.net
SUMMER EMPLOYMENT
WORK ON MACKINAC Island This Summer – Make lifelong friends. The Island House Hotel and Ryba’s Fudge Shops are looking for help in all ar‑ eas beginning in early May: Front Desk, Bell Staff, Wait Staff, Sales Clerks, Kitchen, Baristas. Housing, bonus, and discounted meals. (906) 847‑7196. www.theislandhouse.com
STAYING IN ANN ARBOR THIS SUMMER?
APPLY TO WORK FOR THE MICHIGAN DAILY BUSINESS TEAM! DESIGNERS! LAYOUT! RANDOS!
CONTACT TMD.ADDESIGN@GMAIL.COM IF YOU ARE INTERSTED!
Sports
6A — Thursday, January 14, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Season in review: linebackers Quick Hits with ‘M’ defenseman Zach Werenski
By JAKE LOURIM Managing Sports Editor
Editor’s Note: With the Michigan football team’s 2015 regular season in the books, the Daily looks back at the performance of each unit this year and looks ahead to the future in 2016. In this edition: linebackers. Of the players Jim Harbaugh inherited for his first season as Michigan football coach, no group was more seasoned than the linebackers. The Wolverines returned two experienced players, seniors Joe Bolden and James Ross, from a unit that was already one of the team’s strengths in 2014. Despite losing their third starter, Jake Ryan, to graduation, they found a worthy replacement in fifth-year senior Desmond Morgan, who had been a starter before missing the 2014 season with an injury. Few questions remained unanswered. Bolden, Ross and Morgan carried the load for the entire season, proving their consistency. As a strong force in the middle of one of the best defenses in the country, the linebacker corps allowed the defense to flourish. The one change for the linebackers in 2015 was their coach. D.J. Durkin came in for one year as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and the group didn’t miss a beat. In the season opener, Utah rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan — not disastrous numbers by any means. But they proved to be out of the ordinary for the Wolverines’ defense. Over the next six weeks, Michigan gave up just 54.3 yards per game on the ground and didn’t allow a rushing touchdown again until Week 7. The linebackers’ consistency showed in their numbers: Bolden finished with 83 tackles, Morgan with 71 and Ross with 35. Each of them recorded a stop in every game, and they combined for 14 tackles for loss.
By KEVIN SANTO Daily Sports Writer
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Linebacker Joe Bolden finished his senior season with 83 total tackles, most of any Wolverine this season.
They leave Michigan the same way they started the season — as the most experienced group on the team. With 86 career starts between them, they used their experience to their advantage, ending with a Citrus Bowl victory against Florida. HIGH POINT: The linebackers don’t garner as many individual statistics as the defensive linemen and defensive backs do with sacks and interceptions, respectively. Their success generally coincided with the overall defense’s success, which reached its peak in the first half of the season during a stretch in which the Wolverines allowed 14 points in five games, three of them shutouts. In that span, there were individual highlights as well. Morgan intercepted a pass at Maryland on Oct. 3, and Bolden recovered a fumble forced by junior defensive end Taco Charlton and returned it 18 yards against Oregon State on Sept. 12.
Outside of those, the linebackers’ success showed through their consistency, rather than any highlight-reel plays. LOW POINT: In the second half of the season, as Michigan’s run defense faded, the Wolverines’ flaws were exposed. They gave up 307 rushing yards against Indiana’s up-tempo spread offense and 369 more in a blowout defeat against Ohio State to end the regular season. A defense that appeared deep, powerful and disciplined earlier in the season looked worn down when November came. THE FUTURE: The linebacker corps will go into next season as unproven as it went into this season experienced. Bolden, Morgan and Ross will all depart, leaving holes in the defense — perhaps some of the only ones on the field for the Wolverines. The three seniors ate up most of the reps for Michigan this season, meaning the rest of the depth
chart is uncertain. Just four other linebackers played snaps this season: junior Ben Gedeon (34 tackles in 12 games), redshirt freshman Noah Furbush (four tackles in nine games) and redshirt freshman Chase Winovich and redshirt junior Allen Gant (two tackles in six games each). Gedeon could lead the unit, and junior Mike McCray will return from injury, but the Wolverines still have major ground to make up. Michigan has more options in terms of personnel coming in. Four-star recruit Devin Bush, an early enrollee from Hollywood, Fla., could help immediately. The Wolverines have also given redshirt defensive end Reuben Jones reps at linebacker and could do the same with one of their many other linemen. And it’s also possible that another young player such as redshirt freshman Jared Wangler could step up. Michigan has plenty of time to find answers, but it will need a few of them.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Freshman center Hallie Thome will be tasked with another tough post matchup when Malina Howard and Maryland visit Crisler Center on Thursday.
Wolverines seek to keep streak alive By TED JANES Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team needs a big win. Plain and simple as that. The Wolverines (2-2 Big Ten, 10-5 Maryland at overall) have that chance Michigan Thursday night, Matchup: hosting No. Maryland 14-2; 8 Maryland. Michigan 10-5 Realistically, When: Thursday Michigan’s chance is slim 6 P.M. — it hasn’t Where: Crisler beaten a ranked Center opponent TV/Radio: this season. BTN Nonetheless, the Wolverines need the win to boost their postseason hopes. As difficult as a victory over the Terrapins (3-1, 14-2) could be for the Wolverines, the matchup couldn’t come at a more perfect time. Michigan rides a thrilling two-game win streak that includes a 17-point comeback and
a road victory. The Wolverines bounced back to shock Iowa after falling to 0-2 in conference play. Confidence is high, and the chance to play a top-10 team adds to the excitement. “Maryland is a tremendous team, and they have a tremendous program,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico in an interview with WTKA on Tuesday. “They went to the Final Four last year. Year in and year out, they are one of the best teams in the country. … I know our kids will be excited for that one. Should be a fun game.” The Terrapins have the advantage in nearly every aspect, but the Wolverines’ best chance lies in getting Maryland’s post players in foul trouble early. Center Malina Howard is only one of the Terrapins’ options in the post, where she and her teammates will match up with Michigan freshman center Hallie Thome. “(Maryland) has great size, a dominating post presence inside, a 6-5 kid (Howard) that’s probably got about 50 or 60 pounds on Hallie,” Barnes Arico said. “So
that’s going to be a tough matchup for us inside.” Thome’s height — also 6-foot5 — has become less impactful as the season has progressed. The Wolverines have faced bigger and more physical opponents so far in conference play, and Howard is a continuation of that. If Michigan can get Howard off the court, Thome will have the chance to dominate in the paint. Outside on the wings, Maryland guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough is even more dangerous. WalkerKimbrough, a 2015 All-Big Ten First Team recipient, is averaging 11 points and 5.3 rebounds. She can do a little bit of everything, Barnes Arico noted, whether that’s filling the rim from outside or driving to the basket. The guard duel pits WalkerKimbrough with Michigan sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty. Flaherty is putting up 22 points per game, good for the 11th highest in the country, and the Wolverines should expect the Terrapins to key in on her. Flaherty continues to score more than 20 points per game,
no matter the matchup, and she is in the top 10 in the nation for four different categories: points per game (11th), free-throw percentage (7th), final points (15th) and field goals made (9th). She is leading of a team with aspirations to make the NCAA Tournament. To do that, they need big wins, and they need to avoid big losses. Michigan already has had a bad loss, a one-point loss to Eastern Michigan, but it has yet to overcome a highly-touted opponent. It has had its chances, too. Against then-No. 20 UCLA, the Wolverines hung around until the very end, eventually falling, 86-77. Michigan’s best win of the season so far came against Iowa. The Hawkeyes hung in and out of the top 25 during the opening weeks of the season, but aren’t as strong as many of the other Big Ten opponents that Michigan will face. A bid to the Big Dance requires more than a win over Iowa. A win over Maryland, as tough as it will be, could be huge.
It’s been roughly a month since the inaugural edition of Quick Hits, but now it’s time for round two. The Daily caught up with sophomore defenseman Zach Werenski to discuss reindeer, the dab and the time he spent in Finland for the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships. The Michigan Daily: We haven’t had a chance to talk to you much about World Juniors. What was the experience of going overseas like? Zach Werenski: It was unbelievable. You hear so much about it, and for me, at 17, I only went overseas once — to Sweden. It was only my second time overseas and I was there for almost a month. It’s just unbelievable to be there. You get so comfortable staying in a different country. TMD: Did you have a lot of down time to go sightseeing? Werenski: Yeah, every off day we had a day to do whatever we wanted. We went down to Helsinki, go walk around, go shopping, stuff like that. It was awesome. TMD: Any favorite moments or a favorite part of the city? Werenski: Just being there with all your friends, just walking around and seeing (Finland’s) culture. TMD: How was the food? Werenski: (Pause) Different. I’m not going to say it’s not good, but it took us a while to get used to it — a lot of pasta. TMD: You’ve been picking it up defensively — which you have always said is one of the strengths of your game — since you’ve come back from World Juniors. Did you learn anything over there, or is it just a matter-of-time sort of thing? Werenski: I think I just came back with a lot of confidence. I thought I went over there and played well, against the supposedly best players in the world. It was definitely a confidence booster. For me, just learning from Chelios, who was the D coach, the little things he points out helped me a ton. I’m coming back with a lot of confidence. TMD: You’re getting a lot of love for the celebrations. What inspires them? Werenski: I don’t really know. Well, the violin was Carl Hagelin. He did that in The Big Chill. I thought that playing Michigan State here at home, it’s the closest thing I’ll get to The Big Chill this year. That’s why I did it. I don’t know if coach liked it too much, he made a comment about it. TMD: You have any other ones (coming up)? Werenski: I’ve been thinking. (Michigan spokesman Jeff) Weinstein put me on the spot with a tweet saying, “What’s next?” I’m thinking of something to do next. TMD: Are the guys giving
you any hate for it? They seem to prefer the fist pump. Werenski: No, I think none of the guys have a problem with it. I think I’m the only one that’s really gone overboard and done something different than just a fist pump, but I think the guys like it. TMD: Hey, a goal is a goal right? Werenski: Yeah. Enjoy it. TMD: What about the dab? Did you take it from Cam or was it spur of the moment? Werenski: I learned that from Cam Newton, and then when I went to World Juniors, I wanted to take it overseas. I told the guys that as a joke. I never thought I’d actually score in the Canada game. When I did, I said, “I’ve got to do it now.” TMD: Just to go back to Finland — you talked about the food. What’s the weirdest thing you tried over there? Werenski: Reindeer probably. TMD: That’s gamey. Was it gamey? Werenski: I don’t even know. It just said reindeer on (the menu). Maybe the name threw me off and I didn’t want to eat it, but it was all right. TMD: Talk about Christmas spirit, huh? Werenski: (Laughs) Yeah, seriously. TMD: Any guys there give you crap for your American accent? Werenski: No, I don’t think so. Most people over there speak broken English, but I didn’t really hear anyone say I had an accent. TMD: Did you hear any weird phrases typical to Finland? Werenski: I only learned one phrase in Finland. It was thank you — “kiitos.” It’s all I learned. It’s the most common thing there, to say thank you to everything. The Daily caught sophomore forward Dexter Dancs coming off the ice to find out if it’s actually true that the team is enjoying Werenski’s latest celebration tactics. TMD: How does everyone feel about Werenski’s celebrations lately? Dexter Dancs: About his Hagelin (impression)? (Laughs) We were having a lot of fun with that. He did the dab a couple weeks ago, and we were kind of giving it to him, like, “What are you going to come up with next?” And he came up with (the violin). I wish I had the skill to do that. TMD: I saw you called him “Captain Dab” on Twitter. Is that sarcasm or giving him some love? Dancs: I was just kind of giving it to him. He’s such a good player, he can do things like that. We’re really excited he’s back. TMD: Do you have any suggestions for the next celebration? Dancs: I have no suggestions. I’m sure he’s going to come up with something. TMD: You have anything planned? You’ve been scoring. Dancs: No, no, no. I’m just going to stick to hands up in the air.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Zach Werenski was inspired by Cam Newton to “Dab” after scoring a goal.
the b-side B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, January 14, 2016
JOLLY PUMPKIN
CONOR O’NEILL’S
THE MICHIGAN DAILY’S
GUIDE TO
RESTAURANT WEEK By Danielle Ray, Daily Arts Writer
TOTORO
THE BLACK PEARL
THE EARLE
ZOLA BISTRO Design by Mariah Gardziola
the b-side
2B — Thursday, January 14, 2016
RESTAURANT WEEK From Page 1B Looking at the Ann Arbor Restaurant Week website, it doesn’t really seem like there are many choices. But then you realize there are 56 participating restaurants this January, and you do some math — in order to attend all 56, you’d have to eat out 11.2 times every day, and probably spend somewhere in the field of $1,300. Plus tip. Okay, so you can probably get rid of some of them — there’s never a reason to go to bd’s Mongolian Grill; I have never walked by Ama Bistro and seen more than one person in the restaurant; Neopapalis, what?; and if you don’t have a car (or friends with cars) that takes off Bigalora, Carlyle Grill, Carson’s American Bistro, Guy Hollerin’s, Mediterrano, Metzger’s German Restaurant, Old Carolina Barbeque, Seva (although, if you’re vegan, I would highly recommend checking out Seva when you get the chance), Weber’s Restaurant and Zola Bistro. So, what’s left, then? Only 38 restaurants. That takes it down to a manageable 7.6 meals out per day. Doable, I’d say. In all seriousness, I have developed three main strategies to getting the most out of your restaurant week: high-end, dabbling and procrastinatorender. High-end The most obvious, but also probably the most intelligent and the best way to really get a good value is to use RW to dine out at all the notoriously superpricey Ann Arbor restaurants that you would normally only go to for a super special occasion, or when your parents come into town. The Earle (classified under “T” on the RW website), is one such place. Normally their entrees by themselves run anywhere from $26 to $28, but during RW, you can get a three course meal for $28. (This is the standard pricing for all restaurants during the week. $15 for lunch and $28 for dinner across the board, although some restaurants have a twofor-one deal on this — two for $15 or two for $28.) “We will give you exactly the same food,” said Dennis Webster, owner of The Earle. “We don’t cut down on the quality of the food. We don’t reduce the portion size. We try to be very honest about what it is.” The same goes for Logan, practically next door to The Earle. Thad Gillies, chef and owner, touted his restaurant’s dedication to providing both quality food and the same dining experience one would get outside of RW. Another reason to go highend is to experience what the food culture has to offer. “What you’re getting here
is a chef driven restaurant — a partner driven restaurant,” Gillies said. “There’s a lot of passion behind what we do. This is our little baby. You’re going to get a different experience.” James Wilhelm, Black Pearl executive chef, echoed these sentiments. “This place is a lot more attainable or inviting than people think it is … they get in and they realize it’s actually worth it,” Wilhelm said. “This is the place I can come to and know that I’m going to get the bang for my buck. I feel like that’s what a lot of people worry about, that they’re going to go to a restaurant, have a bad meal and spend a fortune. Nobody wants that.” However, while The Earle and Logan keep their dishes the same, Black Pearl does alter its portion sizes to make up for the cost difference. Instead of the normal eight-ounce piece of meat, Wilhelm said it’s about six ounces during RW. “We’re not changing anything because of Restaurant Week,” he said. “Maybe the portion size a little bit, but other than that, it’s still the same piece of fish.” Pros: You get to try something you might not have been able to afford otherwise, you get a cool experience at a high-end, oneof-a-kind restaurant and you get to dress up. Cons: You might not be getting exactly what you would be during a non-RW visit, you’ll still probably spend a fortune on alcohol and you might have to dress up. Other high-end restaurants to try: Aventura, Blue Nile, Gratzi, The Chop House (also under “T”) and Vinology.
You’d have to eat out 11.2 times every day. Plus tip. Dabbling Very different from dabbing, the dabbling concept involves going to the cheaper RW restaurants and trying a bunch of them. The best way to do this is the two-for-one deals, leaning toward lunch if you can to get the highest value. This way, you get to try a bunch of new restaurants without breaking the bank. Conor O’Neill’s, for example, offers two-for-one pricing on both lunch and dinner, but their dinner spread includes appetizer and dessert samplers, where you get three smaller portions of each to try. Plus, as long as both guests are 21, you also get a beer sampler. Thank you, Conor’s. “If you’re hungry, it’s the place to come. You get a lot of food,” said Micheal Dineen, manager and chef at Conor
O’Neill’s. With this method, you might not get to try the greatest, most original Ann Arbor restaurants, but there’s still a wide variety of Ann Arbor-only restaurants to choose from. While not every RW restaurant offers lunch, the RW website has a nifty button that sorts all the restaurants by lunch or two-for-one. So, if you don’t want to limit yourself to the 24 places that offer two-forone deals, you can limit yourself to the 40 that offer lunch. Pros: You get to try a lot of places; you can hang out with a lot of different friends (or Tinder dates) and you’ll spend relatively little money. Cons: It takes a pretty moderate amount of effort, friends (or Tinder dates) can be annoying and if you go out enough, you can actually end up still spending quite a bit. Other dabbling restaurants to try: Blue Tractor, Grizzly Peak, Marnee Thai, Sava’s and Slurping Turtle. Procrastinator-ender Have you always wanted to venture to Main Street but were too lazy and ended up eating at BTB instead? Have you always thought it would be cool to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant but couldn’t find someone to go with you to Blue Nile? Have you always been curious if you could actually get into Heidelberg without getting carded but it was just too far away? Have you heard about the exotic truffle fries at Jolly Pumpkin but never wanted to pay the extra two dollars for them? Hey, it’s RW! Here’s your chance. The most obscure RW strategy, procrastinator-ender involves using RW as your excuse to actually go eat at places. In creating his menu for RW, Matthew Morrison, executive chef at Jolly Pumpkin, said while he did put special items on the menu for the occasion, Jolly’s menu changes seasonally and he wanted to showcase that. He also made sure to choose some things that are on the regular menu and highly popular, like truffle fries. “The most popular things on our menu are stuff that people already know about … truffle fries are like the greatest thing since sliced bread,” he said. Pros: You get out of the house, you get to eat something besides Jimmy John’s and you get a new experience. Cons: None? Other procrastinatorender restaurants to try: BD’s Mongolian Grill ( just kidding), Sava’s (if you’ve never been there), The Original Cottage Inn and The Ravens Club. The point is, try RW. There’s awesome food, and it doesn’t shut down half the streets in downtown like Art Fair. For a full list of restaurants participating in Restaurant Week and their menus, visit annarborrestaurantweek.com.
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW “I love God, I love speed, I love drink, I love me / I love oceans in the deep, I love money, I love me.” God, I love Kendrick too. With a boogiewoogie intro, heavy-hitting A+ drums and a tight band, Untitled 2 “Cornrow Kendrick Kenny,” as he Lamar so calls himself, basks in a Late Night with pale spotlight, Jimmy Fallon rapping about mystical “blue faces.” The rapper never fails to deliver a stunning performance, and the performance on Fallon is no exception — but what makes the performance so spectacular isn’t the theatrics, rather its lack thereof. The reserved rendition of “Untitled 2” (save the explosive ending) relays a subtle, honest and important intimacy that can be thought to define much of the artist’s late work. While often the mix from late night shows is lacking,
TDE
Fallon made sure not to disappoint when Kendrick came on — both the band and vocals were appropriately leveled. The Roots, major players in the track, are unafraid to interact with Kendrick as he rapped over their groove. Piano lines float atop the track, playing off Kendrick’s rhythm and dancing over the bar line and through the changing time signatures. The piano adds to the mix an improvisational flare,
inherited from jazz, the music from which Kendrick’s recent music is so inspired. However present the band might be, they remain cast in the background, save metallic shimmering from guitars and cymbals. Their submersion in the darkness behind the frontman provides an unsteady atmosphere that brings further tension to the cutting lyrics. Kendrick Lamar, once again, is the complete package. -DANIEL SAFFRON
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN
Teaching myself how to teach myself By BAILEY KADIAN Community Culture Columnist
F
reshman year of high school, I felt the urge to start playing an instrument. I always admired people who could play the piano, so I decided to take it up and hopefully learn a song or two, create some sort of relationship with the instrument. I was hoping it would become a close friend, more than just an occasional visit. I remember my living room being taken over by a huge Steinway piano when I was about seven or eight. I recognized it from my grandma’s house and didn’t give it much of a thought beyond its enormity taking up a huge portion of the room. Those are my early memories of the instrument I had so long neglected. In freshman year, my musical theater-obsessed self realized that my interest in piano was becoming quite serious. It was time to start developing my skills.
Freshman year, I felt the urge to start playing. I began learning simply by watching others play. I was fascinated by what I saw and honestly regretful that I’d taken so long to recognize such amazing talent. Then there I was, in my living room, rolling out the bench of my piano — in time, a place I would visit daily. My observations quickly led to application. I found some of my sister’s old piano books, from when she took
formal lessons (prior to my instrumental revelation, so I never participated in those) and began matching the keys to letters, learning how to move my fingers to each key. I’m forever grateful for the patience of my family during this experimental stage; I can’t imagine anything I was playing was pleasant to listen to.
I love most that it’s a work in progress. These beginner lessons were followed by hours spent watching people on YouTube play popular songs and talk through tutorials. I ditched my beginner piano books for my own head and began with Adele. Listening to songs on the radio encouraged me to go home and try to play them. It was a mixture of learning the notes on paper and playing by ear. As I spent months doing this, I started to learn a lot about myself. Learning an instrument teaches you much more beyond just how to play the instrument itself. Music is a form of escape and relaxation, and as I learned more, I began to notice patterns in my own behavior. If there was something I couldn’t figure out, like how to move my fingers from one note to the next properly, I would have to repeat the process a million times until it felt easy. Patience was something I had never been able to develop in any other part of my life, until I was sitting there at my piano bench. I feel like most things I’ve ever learned to do in my life
have been guided by some sort of set way of teaching and learning. You learn how to read through established techniques, you learn a new language from an instructor in an organized fashion. But piano was entirely up to me. I had to decide what worked best for me. Watching, listening, taking notes, reading practice books — there were so many options, and through a series of trial and error, I found what worked. If I couldn’t figure out a rhythm, I would just listen. If I didn’t know how to move from one note to the next, I would watch. I learned to teach myself how to teach myself. Learning the piano also broadened the scope of my appreciation for art. As a singer, I always focused narrowly on vocals. I could appreciate talented artists, classmates and teachers, but piano was always something in the background — until it became something that I was absolutely enthralled by. Not only was I aware of the talent of singers I listened to, I was equally enamored with the piano accompanying them. What I love most about this hobby is that it’s a work in progress. But so am I. I’m constantly learning more about myself, noting what my strengths are and what needs to improve. Piano is the same way. It’s a parallel to my life. It takes time to figure out what brings the most satisfaction and enjoyment. But we’re all aiming to get there. So thank you to my freshman year self, who decided it was time for a new hobby. The benefits continue to reward me.
Kadian is learning “that song from BIG.” To give her a different suggestion, email bkadian@umich.edu.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
New year, new loves: Emma Jayne’s EP By CATHERINE BAKER Daily Arts Writer
It’s a new year, a new me and that means I’m on the hunt for new music. While I may not be ready to return to the dreary world of essays and deadlines, I recently stumbled across singer/songwriter Emma Jayne whose music has made the transition back to class much more bearable. Sounding like the lovechild of Jason Mraz and Sara Bareilles, Jayne utilizes her ukulele and a cappella skills to create her own unique style. Jayne gained her start on YouTube and is still producing videos for her 7,000 subscribers, with just 570 monthly listeners on Spotify currently. Despite her lack of recognition from popular media, Jayne’s lyrics never stray from musings on finding herself, being fine on her own and traveling on her own individual journey.
It’s a new year, a new me. Her most recent EP, Oh What a Life, was released in 2014 and opens with “Connie,” a happygo-lucky tune guaranteed to turn your bad day around. “Connie” primarily consists of upbeat ukulele strumming and whistling, sounding like a summer song in the midst of this drizzly winter. (Seriously, what is the deal with rain in
January?) It speaks to idealizing another person and stepping outside of your comfort zone when Jayne sings, “I’m just like her, besides one tiny, little thing / I write my songs and play them / But Connie really sings.”
“I want a rich love / That you can’t see in the movies.” A strangely syncopated and piano-based song, “Rich Love” is heavily reminiscent of Regina Spektor. Jayne reflects on her past loves and what she wants from the future, singing, “I want a rich love / That you can’t see in the movies.” The next song, “Dialogue with God,” is a bare and honest account of all her wrongdoings. With only her voice and her ukulele, it is short and sweet, forcing you to reflect on what your own internal dialogue entails. “Tandem Bike” is upbeat and jazzy, featuring self-empowering lyrics like, “So I’ll put on my high heels / Baby, I will learn to walk,” and “Tandem bike? / I’m fine on my own,” to encourage the listener to make decisions to benefit her own happiness. Rapper Hologram Kizzie features on a verse that only adds to Jayne’s liberating foundation. The song finishes with Jayne singing a cappella, showing off her whimsical and charming
voice. “Ten Twenty Nine” slows things down and speaks of a true love without reverting to unreachable ideals. It is an honest account of her own experiences when she reminisces, “’Cause you tell me when I’m out of line / You see through me when I’m doing just fine.” Backed only by her piano and a violin, Jayne showcases her voice on this ballad.
Oh What a Life speaks to universal experiences. The closing song, “Oh What a Life,” opens with swelling violins before fading to simple vocals and a ukulele. Featuring stripped down versions of the instruments heard in the opening song, “Oh What a Life” brings the listener full circle. She looks to the future without losing sight of the past, singing, “I remember there’s tomorrow left for you and I to waste / Then I smile, then I swear that I grow wings.” Raw and pure, Jayne’s closing track is a poignant way to end the EP. While Emma Jayne may not have the most subscribers or be the most popular, Oh What a Life speaks to universal experiences without feeling clichéd and emphasizes empowerment and happiness. And in the end, what more could you really need?
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 14, 2016 — 3B
Restaurant IN
PROFILE By VANESSA WONG Daily Arts Writer
COURTESY OF EVE ARONOFF
Owner of eve Eve Aronoff stands in front of the Bell Tower Hotel. eve is housed on the first floor.
New and familiar Ann Arbor eatery Eve Aronoff takes over the Bell Tower Hotel’s first floor. By GIANCARLO BUONOMO Daily Food Columnist
In the early 1990s, when Eve Aronoff was in college just outside of Boston, she took a summer job as a hot dog vendor at Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox. If you met Aronoff today, you’d have trouble imaging the soft-spoken person in front of you climbing up and down stadium steps hawking franks. With two successful Ann Arbor restaurants under her apron, she’s clearly come a long way from that. But she still hasn’t forgotten what Fenway meant to fans — it was more than somewhere to sit. It was a place, and it was fun. She kept that in mind for over a dozen years until the time came to open her own restaurant, eve. “I wanted a place where my passion for food and attention to detail was combined with an anything-goes atmosphere,” she told me recently, sitting in the luminous dining room of her new restaurant in the Bell Tower Hotel. When I arrived in Ann Arbor in 2012, I’d occasionally hear sad whispers about eve. Opened in 2003, the Kerrytown location quickly became a town favorite. It was so popular, Aronoff opened up a Cuban-burger joint, Fritas Batidos, and even got recruited by the producers for the sixth season of Top Chef, set in Las Vegas. Suffice to say, Aronoff’s luck wasn’t great in Vegas. In the days leading up to the show, she broke her foot, her father was hospitalized, she cut her finger
open packing her knives and the producers spelled her name wrong on the flight reservation, delaying her departure. Oh, and she got eliminated in the second episode. “It was an interesting life experience, I’ll give it that,” she laughed. But her luck truly took a turn for the worse in 2011. In Honduras, where she was doing charity work building ovens for rural communities, she severely injured her back. Unable to work the line anymore or even expedite, she was forced to close eve. Understandably, Ann Arborites mourned the loss of what had become a Kerrytown fixture. “It was a very personal place,” Aronoff said. “People were invested in it as a food community. It was a bit off the beaten path. No one was really going to just wander in, because we were closed during the day when Kerrytown was busy. People made a point of going there.” eve had been the culmination of years of work, both in other Ann Arbor kitchens, and even shops like Monahan’s Seafood. Aronoff, who eventually attended Le Cordon Bleu Paris, had for a time converted Ann Arbor into her own culinary school. Right after closing eve, her back and resolve still ached. “For a brief time, I was like ‘I’m never doing that again,’ ” she said. But a few weeks later, she was eyeing empty spaces around Ann Arbor. After two years, a suitable space arrived on the ground floor of the Bell Tower Hotel on South Thayer, just across the street from the main part of Central Campus. In February of 2015, she signed a lease, and started designing a new restaurant with assistant Architecture Prof. Neil Robinson. After months of slog, the new eve
opened on Dec. 4 of last year. Sitting with Aronoff in the new dining room just the other day, I commented on the unusual decor, full of icicle-looking lights, shades of pearl and bone-white and the occasional glisten from the stillshiny liquor bottles neatly lined up at the bar. “It looks like the Snow Queen’s Palace,” I quipped. “Exactly!” Aronoff exclaimed. “I wanted it to feel like you were walking into Narnia.” At the sleek white bar, a curious little herb garden seems to grow right out of the stone. Aronoff explains that the bar manager at the original eve had the idea to install a small patch of live potted herbs into the bar so he could pluck them to order. When she decided to revive eve, Aronoff installed a bar garden. But that’s not all she took from the old restaurant — many of the original staff members have returned to work at the new eve. However, Aronoff insists that this new South Thayer location isn’t a facsimile of the Kerrytown one. “It’s evolved. I’ve evolved as a chef and as a person,” she explained. But Aronoff also insists that the new restaurant is not just about her vision and image. “When people tell me ‘you have a brand,’ it just makes me cringe,” she said, tightening her face and shrugging her shoulders up. “So why is the restaurant called ‘eve’?” I asked, a bit puzzled. “Because it’s not ‘Eve’ with a capital ‘E’!” she exclaimed, excited to correct what is clearly a common misperception. “It’s lowercase. I was thinking the first woman, twilight, the Garden of Eden.” Eve didn’t leave Ann Arbor after her injury. And it seems like “eve” didn’t either. Instead the soul of it lay waiting, like a seed ready to bloom again after a harsh winter.
SINGLE REVIEW If the media coverage following most superstars is a circus, the firestorm that comes with Kanye West is an apocalypse. In the years preA ceding Swish, Real Yeezy has certainly fanned Friends the flames. He Kanye West married into the breeding Self-released ground of celebrity gossip and has since announced that he’s running for president in 2020. Good ol’ Kanye. For better or worse, this means that the release of a new Kanye West album is pushed by an enormous hype train. The wheels relentlessly turned in 2015. “Wolves” — Kanye’s best track of the year — invited lengthy features about the continued relevance of 808s and Heartbreak while “All Day” led to fervent speculation that there was a new Yeezus on the way. “FACTS,” released at the turn of the year, was a worrying sign that perhaps all the hype had finally gotten to Kanye, weighing on him with overblown expectations. It’s one of his worst tracks to date, a mess of “fuck Nike” and recycled production from the year before.
The pressure of his media persona is so obvious that the track seems almost like a satire. With the dominance of rappers like Kendrick and Drake looming, for a moment it seemed the A.D.H.D. brain of hip-hop was moving past Kanye. But this is Kanye fucking West. He knows what he’s doing. And because this is Kanye, we get “Real Friends,” a track (and a snippet) that instantly blows away all of his musical clutter in 2015. The beat opens up immediately, shutting out everything else. The rhythmic pulsing and angelic synths command your attention, and for good reason, because Kanye is about to lay out some of his best and most vulnerable bars in years. On 808s and Heartbreak, Kanye yearned for a family, an escape from the loneliness. In 2016, now married with two children, he has everything he wanted back then, but that loneliness — no, solitude — is still there. On “Real Friends,” Kanye blames himself for failing to keep touch with those close to him (I guess I get what I deserve, don’t I? / Word on the streets is they ain’t heard from him), but also recognizes that most aren’t there for him anyways (To 3 A.M., callin’ / How many real friends? / Just to ask you a question / Just
to see how you was feelin’ / How many?). It’s so personal and universal that you can’t help but look at your own life. Are your friends truly there for you? Will they be there when the “wheels don’t spin?” It’s hard to tell. It’s the same self-awareness that made his masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy so powerful, and the similarities between the road to Swish and the road to MBDTF are hard to ignore. Sure, there’s the obvious: G.O.O.D. Fridays are back. But the off-cuff rants, the escalating rumors, the changing album title and the odd interviews are all more potent reminders of that troubled Kanye we had before MBDTF. A snippet of “No More Parties in LA” follows “Real Friends,” and it’s the ultimate tease, finally revealing the Kendrick-Kanye collaboration. Here, Kanye is sick of the gloss and glam of LA life. The track is smooth and chilled, but still teaming with funk energy. This is, apparently, one of the five beats that Madlib gave to Kanye for MBDTF, furthering the connection so far between it and Swish. So what’s all of this going to lead to? When Swish releases on February 11th, we’ll finally see. MATT GALLATIN
To escape the fast-paced campus life, veer a few blocks south for a traditional bistro style dining experience in the Zola Bistro. Drop-hanging spotlights, industrial designinfluenced bar shelves and a gold, textured wall glow invitingly — a sleek finish to a classic dining experience. The menu, too, takes the French bistro concept — a local eatery with simple, wholesome meals — and modernizes it, citing culinary inspiration from all over the world. “When you come to our restaurant you see things from all over, not just one country,” owner Alan Zakalik said. Zakalik comes from Poland, bringing a Northern European influence to the menu. His wife and restaurant co-owner Hediye Batu’s Turkish background adds Mediterranean flavor.
Zola Bistro differs in being homier, more approachable.
“It may be from the Far East, or Italian, or Spanish, and we try to make sure that it blends together well on the menu,” he said. While its older sister Café Zola, located in the downtown area, has earned recognition for its eclectic menu and décor, Zola Bistro differs in
its homier, more approachable feel. The regular menu features reoccurring nightly specials — braised short ribs, paella or a Greek seafood stew. Both the Café and the Bistro will be participating in Restaurant Week with a special multicourse dinner menu.
Their dinner menu offers an incredibly wide variety. Expect Zola Bistro’s Restaurant Week selection to be a variety sampler representing everything the restaurant does. Their Restaurant Week dinner menu offers an incredibly wide variety of choices. For starters, one can select from mussels, quinoa cakes, lamb kofte meatballs, crab cake, fried chickpeas and more, all cooked in sauces influenced from different parts of the world. Some of the highlights for the main course include Moroccan salmon, flatiron steak with chimichurri sauce, farfalle kale and good old-fashioned spaghetti topped with Zola’s famous meatballs. “I like to think of it as a world feast — you can really try many different things,” Zakalik said. Zola Bistro also offers a special lunch menu for Restaurant Week, featuring their farmhouse omelette, lamb kofte, chicken salad sandwich, wild rice and French lentil burger, among other options. Zakalik and Batu said the Ann Arbor community is integral to their experience as
restaurateurs. “To own a restaurant in Ann Arbor has become part of the fabric of my life,” Zakalik said. “It’s not just a … business; we’re involved in different aspects of the town itself.” In addition to being involved with local farmers and food producers, Zola Bistro partners with the food bank Food Gatherers. During Restaurant Week, proceeds from the Kenrick’s crepe will be donated to the charity. Zakalik said he enjoys connecting with the local community through the restaurant, reminiscing about students that have worked at Zola and then come back to visit after they’ve jumpstarted their careers.
Zakalik enjoys connecting with the local community. He’s especially excited for how Restaurant Week can introduce new diners to the passion he has for Ann Arbor’s culinary community. “Restaurant Week, at night, brings a lot more young people to this side of town, so I think it’s a good thing to expose to students of the university,” he said. If you brave the cold this upcoming week (and you should), Zola Bistro and Café Zola will welcome you with open arms and a full plate. Bon appetit!
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
SMTD showcases Collage collaboration By KELLY MARTINEK Daily Arts Writer
This weekend, the School of Music, Theatre and Dance will present their 39th annual Collage Concert at Hill Collage Auditorium, a tradition that Concert began at the January 16, University in 8 p.m. 1977. This Hill Auditorium “collage” is $28/$22/$12 exactly what it sounds with student ID like, a piecing together of many different kinds of performances into one cohesive production. For School of Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Eliana Barwinski, the concert is all about one thing: collaboration. “The Collage Concert is a culmination of different performances from all three sectors of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance,” Barwinski said. “It’s really an evening to open one’s eyes to the variety of our art forms and get to participate with us in the exploration of collaboration.” She said the production
includes performances from all different disciplines, featuring soloists, smaller acts and larger ensemble pieces, as well as acts that bring different disciplines together. This year there are about 15 student performances and 12 ensemble performances, including band, choir, jazz and orchestra. “There’s just so much talent, so when an audience member goes to see the performance, they get to have such an enriching experience seeing not only just singing or just opera, but they get to see theatre in the works and they get to see dancing,” Barwinski said. “It’s a really cool collaboration, and it shows how not only does each part possess their own individual talent, but actually how we collaborate as a school.” Conducting Prof. Eugene Rogers, director of the Men’s Glee Club, is co-artistic director of the Collage Concert, along with Jazz prof. Ellen Rowe. In an e-mail interview, Rogers wrote that the concert’s unique ability to move seamlessly between all different kinds of performance is what makes it the school’s biggest event of the year. “The Collage Concert is captivatingly distinctive and
features the incredible range of SMTD ensembles and departments performing one riveting work after another without pause,” Rogers wrote. “It’s a non-stop evening of virtuosic performances. No other concert features the breadth and depth of the entire SMTD.” Barwinski said she believes the concert will be appreciated by all students, even those outside of the SMTD. “Since this is our most popular performance and it usually does almost sell out, we try to make student tickets as available as we can by bumping the price down from $28 to $12, and you have your Bert’s tickets, which are free for any freshman or sophomore,” Barwinski said. Rogers agreed that the range of performances means the concert can appeal to all students. “I am always moved and impressed by the level of talent that our students display everyday, but especially on this concert,” he wrote. “It makes me proud to be a Wolverine! If any student at U-M has never had the chance to experience this concert, it’s a must see before leaving this campus, and it only happens once a year in January.”
DO YOU SPEND YOUR DAYS LISTENING TO POP PUNK AND DJ KHALED? COME DO THAT WITH US! E-mail katjacqu@umich.edu and ajtheis@umich.edu for information on applying to Daily Arts.
the b-side
4B — Thursday, January 14, 2016
Fear and loathing at Totoro, alone By ADAM DEPOLLO Daily Arts Writer
French philosopher Michel Foucault once said “people know what they do; frequently they know why they do what they do; but what they don’t know is what what they do does.” The final part of that quote — about people not knowing what what they do does — reveals something important, I think, about the experience of being an American person in the 21st century. We tend to think of ourselves as more or less fully in control of our thoughts and actions — that at our best (and at our deepest, most fundamental level) we are fully self-aware, selfactualized, self-controlled and self-motivated individuals, waddling around our allotted patch of existence and doing things that have a limited set of prescribed outcomes which are completely under our control. Hence the logic of the Iraq War: Step 1: Military intervention to depose dictator Step 2: Freedom, Democracy, National Self-Determination Or the logic of Long John Silver’s: Step 1: Make a Super Sampler with 4,610 mg of sodium Step 2: Freedom, Consumer Capitalism, Dietary Self-Determination This logic assumes, of course, that the Waddling Individual is humanity’s natural essence, and that, after having removed whatever obstacle might impede their waddle, the Individuals will resume their natural course and plod onward toward a state of sublime self-sufficiency embodying the highest ideals of Liberty, Equality and the Pursuit of Happiness. And despite the fact that actions we take based on this assumption usually leave our Waddling Individuals fleeing from ISIS forces until they collapse in the dust from a hush puppy-induced stroke, we’re reluctant to put an asterisk on unfettered individualism because, you know, freedom. But one of the biggest problems with our refusal to question individualism can be felt much closer to home. Namely, it prevents us
from seeing that there really is no such thing as “freedom” in and of itself. It’s a relative term — there’s only ever freedom from something, liberation from some form of oppression. The same goes for the idea of an “individual” — you can only ever be an individual when there are a large number of people somewhere who aren’t that (sheeple, squares, phonies, etc.). And since we all like to think of ourselves as individuals all the time, that leaves us perpetually lumping the rest of humanity into a sort of incoherent blob which is really only there to remind us that we aren’t it. At this point, a properly selfaware individual might be asking him or herself whether it’s possible to actually be an individual and also believe that everyone else on the planet is also an individual at the same time. If we’re all individuals, after all, then doesn’t that mean we’re all just sheeple with illusions of grandeur? If you do something — anything — that might suggest to another person that you are, in fact, an individual, aren’t you really just telling them that they’re part of the herd? And if you take this line of thinking to its logical conclusion, then, when you get right down to it, interacting with another person in any way whatsoever is a lot like forcing them to acknowledge that you exist, i.e. that you are enough of an individual to warrant being differentiated from the physical space that you occupy, the implication being of course that they are, by virtue of your existence, a sheep. And so, if you’re a real American who believes wholeheartedly in the value of individualism as a universal ideal, I think it’s safe to say that the only truly ethical way to practice your individualism is to avoid, as much as possible, doing anything that might suggest to another person that you are, in fact, an individual. Now, if you haven’t already guessed, I’m a vegetarian for moral reasons. I’ve taken the cliché “you are what you eat” to heart and realized that the daily choice of what and how to consume is really, in our consumerist culture, a test of faith — an unending trial by fire
where we see whether our personal integrity is able to withstand the constant temptations of cost and convenience. And that’s why, when I’m looking to put my patriotism and faith in American individualism to the test, there’s only one way to eat: alone. And the best place to do that in Ann Arbor is, without question, Totoro on State Street. Totoro is a bastion of dignified solitude, where each meal is perfectly choreographed to require the least amount of verbal contact with the wait staff, minimizing the number of times that you might be required to suggest to another person that you aren’t a piece of furniture and maximizing your opportunities for silent selfreflection. After walking into the restaurant, you’ll only be asked two questions, which can be answered with as few as two words: “How many?” (one) and “Anything to drink?” (no). Having suffered that necessary evil, you can make your sushi order by simply placing unimposing checkmarks next to the appropriate selections on a piece of laminated paper. The meal comes with complimentary soup, salad and an Andes afterdinner mint. But if, like me, you order vegetarian, the wait staff will, without asking, refrain from bringing you the miso soup (made with fish broth), saving you from the nearly insurmountable moral quandary of deciding whether a minor breach of your vegetarianism would be a greater or lesser evil than bringing the problem up to your server. From then on, your multicourse meal simply comes to your table in regular waves — not unlike time itself, which that most American individual Henry David Thoreau once wrote (anticipating the ethical 21st century American individualist’s approach to the rest of humanity) “is but the stream (we) go a-fishing in.” You’re left free to eat like the true American you are, with the contented silence of an unperturbed patriot, staring down into your pile of wasabi to avoid eye contact with the room full of individuals whose freedom you’ve done your part to secure.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Hardcore bands help support Toys for Tots By SELENA AGUILERA Daily Arts Writer
Six bands were listed on a Facebook page for a Dec. 11 event that was titled “Mosh for a Cause.” I pressed the “interested” button because, honestly, who wouldn’t be intrigued by that title? “Mosh for a Cause” is a hardcore metal show played at Simon’s Bar in Allen Park, Michigan. Six bands come to play for free and the admission is eight dollars. But, there’s a catch; it’s only four dollars if you bring a toy. That’s correct, there is a hardcore metal show / Toys for Tots extravaganza held in one of the most mundane places in Michigan. Six bands all cram into a tiny bar that sits next to a Dollar Tree, and they play their music loudly as a crowd of people basically murders each other — and they do this all for free. All of the money made (and obviously toys collected) goes toward the Toys for Tots foundation. Last year, “Mosh for a Cause” was presented by a well-known local band manager, Kyle Yoder. He had a van full of toys to donate and made enough money to feed 12 families. From that point on Yoder has put on two benefit shows and said he was excited to throw another Toys for Tots show. Once the word got out, 30 bands contacted Yoder to volunteer for the show this year, so the selection was rough, but Yoder said he was sure he picked bands that would please
the crowd. The first band, Of Cities, apparently lacked a bassist and some of their equipment, but that didn’t stop the crowd from engaging in a collective head nod when the music started to scream through the speakers. The next band was The Major Minor and they came as a surprise to everyone. Made up of a guitarist, bass player and a bad ass female drummer, The Major Minor was a pop punk band in the middle of a hardcore metal show. I guess I never got the memo about hardcore defenders also taking a liking to some pop punk, but the band’s set was well appreciated amid the heavier music that was played that night. Following the pop punk was Amnesty, who came all the way from Canada to do the show. Screaming, “Everyone’s a fucking fake,” the singer’s vocals were clean and a few people in the crowd started to slam dance. I saw some guy that dropped off a set of Hot Wheels cars in the toy box looking pissed off and swinging his arms. Argus and Change Is were the next two bands, and both put on a great show. Argus had five members and their music was clean and well performed. I think the crowd was the most energized during their set. A girl with blue hair started hardcore dancing with the guys, and Yoder got in the pit himself. Argus covered “Psychosocial” by Slipknot, making the crowd go wild.
Like Statues was the headlining band. Robert Gibbons, the guitarist, spoke on behalf of the rest of the band, saying they wanted to do a benefit show because they “want to give back. We want kids to have a better holiday season.” Addressing the stereotypes associated with hardcore culture, Gibbons spoke of breaking down the wall people put in front of the hardcore music scene. “People look at us and think ‘Wow, you’re a terrible person’ and they don’t even know us. We’re out here doing something for a good cause and I hope they realize we’re not all terrible people,” Gibbons said. With this inspired feeling Gibbons placed in my heart, I eagerly watched Like Statues kill it. The few words Chris Fortuna (front man) said exemplified his amazing stage presence, which engaged the crowd. Plus, he was wearing a Michigan windbreaker (Go Blue!). They played songs with titles like “Psyche” and “Insomnia,” tapping into everyone’s inner demons. The show was great and defied all stereotypes that this certain group of people has placed on them. So, if I was asked to go to another hardcore metal Toys for Tots show I’d be there in a heart beat. Thank you, Kyle Yoder, for having the wonderful idea of gathering, in his words, “the most pissed off people to do a Toys for Tots show,” it was definitely one of the most metal things I have ever witnessed.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
300 ENTERTAINMENT
Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.
The top five rock albums of last year By DANIELLE IMMERMAN Daily Arts Writer
We all know To Pimp A Butterfly and Currents, but 2015 was a pretty impressive year for rock music too. However, many musicians have shown concern that rock music is dying out, arguing that rock bands aren’t getting the attention they deserve. Just this year, Billie Joe Armstrong slammed the music industry with two tweets in reaction to the MTV VMAs. Armstrong, like myself, was disappointed that the VMAs didn’t feature even one rock ‘n’ roll band. He went on to argue that there are several young rock bands headlining music festivals, yet none of those bands were featured on one of the most televised nights in the music industry. Armstrong has a valid point. Most of the music that is highly publicized and known by the mass public is pop and rap; this isn’t to say that pop and rap are inherently worse than rock music, however there is a certain emotion and importance to rock music that other genres can’t possibly emulate. The lack of widespread media attention paid to rock bands is just one example of how they’re not getting the homage they deserve. In the Daily’s Best Albums of 2015, with the exception of Courtney Barnett, not one album could be considered full-on rock. Sure, Tame Impala is “psychedelic rock,” but I personally consider them more indie-alternative than anything else. Aside from maybe Tame Impala, not one rock band made our Top 10 list. Of course each album on the list is great, but why don’t people have as much enthusiasm about the fucking phenomenal rock albums that dropped in 2015? Is it that, because these albums aren’t mainstream, no one picks them as the best music of 2015? Are these bands not talked about enough to be considered the best of the year? Truthfully, I don’t know. But what I do know is that 2015 saw an amazing year for rock music; below I have included my own Best of 2015 list, but this time only rock music is presented to you. I hope you take the time to listen to each album because they’re important and marvelous and will get you hyped for the resurgence of rock ‘n’ roll. 1. Mister Asylum — Highly Suspect I’m guessing that 90 percent of you don’t know of Highly Suspect — I didn’t, at least, until my best friend incessantly went on about how she interviewed the most bad-ass, talented band the other night. She went on to play their debut album for me, Mister Asylum, on repeat until I, too, became addicted to Highly Suspect. The Cape Cod natives have made quite the first impression with their debut album seeing that they are nominated for Best Rock
Album and Best Rock Song at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. The ten-track album is pure rock genius; it’s angsty, raw, full of emotion and an allaround stand out album. My personal favorites are “Bath Salts” and “Mom.” One piece of information that I gathered from my friend’s interview with the band is that all of their songs are literal. “Bath Salts” is about the time Johnny Stevens, the lead vocalist, tried bath salts and “Mom” is about his mom. You know what you’re listening to is real, and I think in a day and age when so much of what we hear is warped and fake, listening to an honest yet complex album is rare. It also doesn’t hurt that the Stevens wears gold Chanel nail polish; any man who rocks nail polish, let alone Chanel nailpolish, is an ace in my book. 2. Yours, Dreamily — The Arcs Usually when members of a band take on side projects, fans get worried that this will be the demise of the original band. In the case of Dan Auerbach, his side project, The Arcs, turned out to be a massive success — arguably a project that could be just as big as The Black Keys. The band has been on tour promoting their debut album and they’re lined up for Coachella this April. Of course The Black Keys are alive and well, but having not one but two successful rock bands is an impressive feat for a young guy like Auerbach. Yours, Dreamily clearly outlines how The Arcs differ from The Black Keys — The Arcs contains more soul and blues than Auerbach’s previous work. My favorite song on Yours, Dreamily is easily “Pistol Made of Bones.” It’s a smooth, catchy classic with a rhythm that stands out from the other songs that comprise the album. In truth, I love every song on the compilation. Every song is memorable, and to me, that’s a telling sign of a truly great album. 3. Wasted On A Dream — Jeff the Brotherhood When I interviewed my fave Cleveland band, The Moxies, they made a huge point to listen to Jeff the Brotherhood, so I did. I found their music to be mesmerizing; it contains elements of psychedelic and garage rock, making for a unique blend of guitar chords and other crazy instrumental components that would be difficult for any other band to replicate. What I love most about this Nashville duo is their ability to blend different instruments into every song. For example, in “Black Cherry Pie,” my favorite song on the album, the flute makes an appearance in the intro and has its own solo moment midway through the song. Modern music almost never utilizes the flute, which makes this band and album so unique. They aren’t afraid to experiment, and the result is an album one could
never tire of. 4. Tell Me I’m Pretty — Cage the Elephant For some reason, I feel like Cage’s latest album hasn’t gotten a lot of attention. I don’t know why, though, because it’s fabulous and Cage is fabulous. Tell Me I’m Pretty is infinitely more sophisticated than Melophobia and the band’s other earlier work; I would go so far as to say this album rocks even harder. “Sweetie Little Jean” is definitely one of the best songs off of the album — it sounds very Arctic Monkeysesque, which is never a bad thing. Personally, my favorite songs are easily “Too Late To Say Goodbye” and “Cold Cold Cold.” The former is full of sadness and passion while the latter is slightly more upbeat and heavy on the classic rock sound — dare I say reminiscent of The Rolling Stones. Actually, the more I listen to this album, the more I realize that I could pick any one of these songs as my favorite. That’s just how pretty Tell Me I’m Pretty is. 5. That’s The Spirit — Bring Me The Horizon There were many albums I considered for the last spot on my Top 5 Best Rock Albums of 2015 list. I considered The Cribs, Modest Mouse, or Courtney Barnett, but finally, I decided to take a risk and include Bring Me The Horizon. I’ve seen Bring Me The Horizon perform live on several occasions, and each time I’ve temporarily lost my hearing. They are first and foremost a hard rock band from England. They are often lauded by Alternative Press and are highly regarded as the less-extreme chaps of the post-hardcore/hard rock community, which is why I was surprised when my “Discover Weekly” on Spotify featured one of their songs. I was listening to “Follow You” and jamming out — and then was shocked when I looked at what band I was listening to. Bring Me The Horizon didn’t scream at all during “Follow You.” It sounded nothing like them — it was lovely and strange all at the same time. I chose That’s The Spirit as my last pick for 2015 because I think Bring Me The Horizon has a tremendous amount of potential as a rock band — they’re already an amazing hard rock band, but I think there’s a lot to be said for a vocalist and artist who can easily transition between rock and harder, borderline metal music. Additionally, the lead vocalist, Oli Sykes, has important messages in each song given his battle with addiction. His words, combined with his sound, are unparalleled in any other modern rock music; I get that hard rock isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s an underrated genre that should get more attention than it currently does.